BELL COUNTY, Texas — There were appearances from Mario, Marshmello, Superman, Wonder Woman and many more at the 2021 Bell County Comic Con.
The event continues to thrive in Belton as thousands from all over the state and country trek to Bell County for the annual event. It was the first time the event was held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For local business owners, it's a perfect place to set up shop and advertise or meet people in the community or those who might be visiting and staying in the area.
Zechariah Baker owns the Beltonian Theatre in Downtown Belton and was at the event.
"It really is a great opportunity to showcase what the local community has to offer," he said. "Every different kind of business and organization can come and show what they have to the community in one spot, so it's really a great opportunity to let people know about you as a business."
He said that the event continues to grow and is on the right path.
"I mean, I think they might outgrow the Expo Center soon," he said. "So that's what I'm hoping, I want the best for these guys, they might have to add multiple days to it. The sky is the limit."
Killeen real estate agent Angie Reinhardt and her husband Jarrod are big fans of the comic con and are happy to mix both business and pleasure at the event.
"We’ve always been into these types of things and then we thought, tie the two things together and advertise together," she said.
The amount of people moving to the area continues to grow, meaning showing up at events like these could help people envision what their life could be like in Belton.
"With her being a real estate agent and this is a comic con and we have the 'Back to the Future' machine, it’s kind of like 'What’s your future hold,'" Jarrod Reinhardt said. "We try to tie them together, where’s your next house going to be, what’s your next big purchase? It’s a good opportunity to tie it together for the comic con and bring everything together.”
There are no official numbers from this year's festival but it's estimated that more than 25,000 people were in attendance in 2019.