Our Story
In 2015, Jackson College Professor and Wilbur Dungy Chair Steven Albee-Scott and Jackson College Professor and George & Barbara Raven Endowed Chair Steve Tuckey approached community activist and organizer Jon Hart with a creative question - Can we help the community get excited about science and math through creativity and science fiction? After some discussion and encouragement by local comic shop owner Tim Stairs, the trio decided indeed it could be done!
And so... The Jackson Concatenation Convention or "Con Con" was born.
First staged in 2016, Con Con formed a variety of community partnerships including the Jackson District Library, Jackson Maker's Space, Nostalgia Ink, Ella Sharp's Hurst Planetarium, the Grand River Brewery, the Michigan Theatre of Jackson, and MegaXP to help get the message out and help host events. Attendees enjoyed a video-game programming session, a showing of Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, a planetarium showing of a Star Trek episode, a Jackson Maker's Space open house, a Star Trek/Star Wars festival, and a commemorative craft beer. The guest of the year for the main event at Jackson College's Potter Center was the renowned author, Walter Mosely.
Con Con's return in March of 2018 focused on the theme of Mars, and saw a change of venue in the newly remodeled Bert Walker Hall on Jackson College's Central Campus.
Con Con returned in October of 2019 to explore the Multiverse.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-2021 Con Con went virtual, and tackled the theme of 'reanimation.'
And so... The Jackson Concatenation Convention or "Con Con" was born.
First staged in 2016, Con Con formed a variety of community partnerships including the Jackson District Library, Jackson Maker's Space, Nostalgia Ink, Ella Sharp's Hurst Planetarium, the Grand River Brewery, the Michigan Theatre of Jackson, and MegaXP to help get the message out and help host events. Attendees enjoyed a video-game programming session, a showing of Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, a planetarium showing of a Star Trek episode, a Jackson Maker's Space open house, a Star Trek/Star Wars festival, and a commemorative craft beer. The guest of the year for the main event at Jackson College's Potter Center was the renowned author, Walter Mosely.
Con Con's return in March of 2018 focused on the theme of Mars, and saw a change of venue in the newly remodeled Bert Walker Hall on Jackson College's Central Campus.
Con Con returned in October of 2019 to explore the Multiverse.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-2021 Con Con went virtual, and tackled the theme of 'reanimation.'