by James Coulter
Last Saturday, Downtown Bartow partied like it was 1999…or rather, 2014. This year’s SyFy Bartow was themed to time travel, which was the same theme of its 2nd event ten years ago.
This year’s theme was “It’s About Time”, with this year’s event focusing on time travel media like Back to the Future, Doctor Who, and The Terminator. Both the Tardis from Doctor Who and the DeLorean from Back to the Future were on full display at the Classic Car Show.
Attendees were encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters from their favorite media, whether it had to do with time travel or not. Several dozen competed in the costume contest. One of the winners was dressed up as The Penguin from Batman.
Throughout Downtown Bartow, attendees could peruse the various vendors and booths lined along Main Street and the adjoining avenues. Several guest celebrities participated in the event, including Jack O’Halloran, the actor who played the henchman Non in Superman II.
While previous years had overall good weather save for the occasional drizzle, this year’s event had bad weather on the forecast with gray overcast skies. The good news is that rain did not start until near the end of the event. The bad news is that the bad weather most likely deterred many attendees, explained event founder and organizer Sean Syndenski.
“It was a little down this year because of the threat of rain,” he said. “First year in 11 years that the weather was a factor. Thousands of people braved the not-so-bad weather and had a fantastic day so it always meets my expectations when people are happy. Aside from the occasional drizzle for a few moments randomly throughout the day, the weather was beautiful.”
Despite the encroaching threat of inclement weather, the event went overall well, Syndenski said. He never experienced a SyFy Bartow event that was a complete flop. He owes its success to the fan community they have created throughout the years.
“You know, I thought it worked out pretty well,” he said. “In 11 years weather has never been a big factor so I thought the event went well. It doesn’t discourage me from doing outdoor events.”
“It always boils down to the support of the attendees, sponsors, and vendors,” he continued. “The volunteer staff that we have is extremely customer service related and professional. This always makes for a really good experience. I think the most compliments we get every year is that our staff is very informative and helpful.”
Next year’s event will be themed to “Villains” with an emphasis on fictional antagonists. Overall, Sean and his wife Lori love hosting the event. He says that his favorite part is interacting with the people.
“Every year my wife Lori and I run into the random family sitting on the curb having lunch or at one of the tables provided or one of the local restaurants,” he said. “Their kids are smiling and laughing. Everyone is having a good time. It’s like visiting a theme park where everyone is mesmerized by the event and it’s a happy place. So, bottom line, smiling faces.”
To learn more about SyFy Bartow and upcoming events, visit their website at: https://bartowcon.com/
