Organizers of Illinois Comic Con decided Saturday to cancel the first day of the convention. The decision came after an explosive device was found near the BioUrja Renewables ethanol production plant, about a mile and a half from the Peoria Civic Center, where the event was to be held.
At about 7 p.m. Friday, Peoria police issued an evacuation advisory for everyone within a mile of the plant. Emergency operations continued until 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Representatives of the Peoria Civic Center said on social media that the facility had been evacuated and all events scheduled for Saturday were suspended. Uncertainty over how long the operations would last, combined with Friday’s halt to air traffic across the entire United States, which significantly complicated travel for invited guests, led Illinois Comic Con organizers to cancel the Saturday portion of the event.
Even after deciding to cancel Saturday’s events, organizers said they were still unsure whether the event would go ahead on Sunday. “When we learned that the searches and investigation were still ongoing, we made the decision to cancel Saturday’s events. Sunday’s fate remains uncertain – a decision will be made when new information about the search becomes available. Guests, vendors, artists and others on site would like the event to take place, but we will open the facility only if we determine that it is 100% safe,” the organizers said in a statement.
The statement said the costume contest, originally scheduled for Saturday, will take place on Sunday, and every single-day ticket also grants admission to the event on Sunday. “Come and join us! Plenty of vendors, artists and stars are waiting for you!!” the Comic Con organizers urged.
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Source: Polski.FM
