Steel City Con returns to Monroeville Convention Center

Mardie Baldo of Ross was hoping to just get a high-five and a photo with one of her favorite actors, Thomas Lennon, at the Monroeville Convention Center this weekend.

She got a pleasant surprise when the star of “Reno 911” and multiple other shows welcomed her on stage during his Q&A session at Steel City Con on Friday afternoon.

It was opening day of the three-day convention geared toward pop culture, comic, movie, video game and TV fans. The event continues Saturday and Sunday.

Lennon, who played Lt. Jim Dangle in “Reno 911,” was dressed in his uniform complete with the iconic short shorts and sunglasses.

Baldo, 65, had been a fan of Lennon for years and was dressed in similar attire. The registered nurse and Highland Volunteer Fire Department executive board member said she had an amazing experience.

“It was a shock he called me up there,” Baldo. “He actually took my hand and led me up on stage. I’m sure somebody has video of it. It was a complete surprise. It was awesome.”

“Reno 911” is a partially scripted comedy often described as a parody of various law enforcement shows.

Thomas said about 70% of it was spontaneous and was designed to have a “Mayberry” feel with big city problems.

Baldo said that’s what made it so appealing to her.

“I used to watch ‘Cops,’ ” she said. “Years ago I was married to a police officer. To see a version of ‘Cops’ that was tongue-in-cheek and not serious and all the fun things they got up to, and his outfit and ostrich boots, was so much fun.”

Eric Ebel of Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood also took part in Lennon’s Q&A session. He was dressed as a ghostbuster and is a member of the nonprofit group Steel City Ghostbusters.

Ebel asked Lennon about his time in the sketch comedy troupe and TV series “The State.” The group formed in 1988, and the series was broadcast in 1994-95 on MTV.

Thomas said his group was anti-establishment and considered itself like a punk band. One of his favorite sketches from that time featured a song about porcupines.

“I don’t get too gaga over celebrities, but it is still pretty cool to meet people whose work you appreciate,” Ebel said. “I’ve been a fan of ‘The State’ for 30-plus years. He was one of my favorite cast members. It was really cool to have one of the original cast members talk about his experiences and how that started.”

Lennon was one of about a dozen celebrities at the convention. He took unique photos with dozens upon dozens of fans.

“It’s been just an absolute delight,” he said. “I’ve just met in a row, like, 500 of the nicest folks you’d ever meet. It’s really been an amazing day so far. This is my first time I’ve ever been at one of these. I’m sure glad I picked this one and this place because the vibes here are fantastic.”

Lennon credited actress Heather Graham, who was at Steel City Con in April, with encouraging him to give conventions a try.

“If she said it was fun, it must be fun,” Lennon said. “She’s a very good judge of things. She was my cannery in the coal mine.”

He said fans at the Q&A had great questions, and some of the things folks wanted autographed took him on a trip down memory lane.

Mike Devine, emcee of Steel City Con’s Q&As, said Lennon did the best crowd work he has seen in a long time and really set the tone for the convention.

Other guests included music legend “Weird Al” Yankovic, Hollywood icons Martin Sheen and Jennifer Grey, and a reunion of “The Karate Kid” movie franchise and Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” Ralph Macchio, Elisabeth Shue, William Zabka, Martin Kove and Yuji Okumoto.

A complete list of guests is available at steelcitycon.com.

Costumed characters

Another big reason people flock to these conventions is the cosplay. People dress up as their favorite characters or coming up with their own.

Baldo had an outfit for Lennon and for “Glee” star Mike O’Malley.

“Here’s a place where you can come and you can let your freak flag fly and nobody cares,” she said. “In fact, people are fascinated by it. A lot of times, I’ll see costumes for things I’m not familiar with like Japanese anime. I’ve never watched it, but some of the costumes are stunning. I’ll stop people and ask, ‘Can you tell me about your costume? Can you tell me about your character?’

“I think it’s fascinating. It may not be something I watch, but it’s still really cool. I like the fact there are little ones dressed up. There’s people like me that are senior citizens that are doing this. You can just be yourself and nobody judges you. If they do, they don’t say it to your face.”

Some people will be judging Sunday for the show’s costume contest.

Hundreds are expected to participate from children to teens to adults. There are usually 10 finalists in each age bracket and category from amateur to professional.

People can find everything from comics, apparel, candles, tattoos, ice cream and more from the many vendors.