Howlercon: A Tearful Farewell To A Very Special Convention

How do I even begin to explain how much Howlercon, and all of its wonderful attendees, mean to me? I am literally tearing up as I write this but I am going to attempt to put words to the feelings I have about this special convention, and how there will never be another like it. Bear with me as I get sappy as saying farewell to Howlercon feels like closing a chapter of my life.

When I attended the first Howlercon in November 2014, I had no idea what to expect. Not only was it my first Teen Wolf convention, it was the first time I attended a convention where I only knew people through social media. I remember agreeing to share a room with my now good friend Courtney, who at the time I only knew through our interactions on Twitter about our love of all things Teen Wolf. When I arrived for day one of Howlercon I remember thinking “What did I get myself into?”, but that thought quickly faded when I saw the kind smiles of the staff and was overcome with the infectious excitement that filled the air. Slowly I began to meet those I had interacted with only on social media and quickly realized how happy I was that I made the decision to attend. As the convention progressed throughout the weekend I met various cast members—who now feel like old friends to me—and created memories I will never forget. I knew if they decided to run the convention for another year, I was absolutely going to buy a ticket again!

Fast-forward to June 2017 and FOUR Howlercons later, I now have a lifetime full of memories, a unique bond with the Teen Wolf cast, and friends I will always cherish. I will never be able to properly put into words how much Teen Wolf, and subsequently this convention, has changed my life. This series about a teenage werewolf is the whole reason I uprooted my life in Maryland and moved to New York City to pursue a career in entertainment. Without those I met at Howlercon, I would have never had the courage to do so. I met some of my greatest and closest friends because of this convention and we looked forward to attending every year since we all live in different parts of the world. I never knew how close you could grow to people you regularly interact with on social media and rarely get to see, and I owe a lot of this to Howlercon.

Not only that, but I had the opportunity to meet most of the Teen Wolf cast who I’ve now come to know and love. From dancing with Charlie Carver at the Saturday night party to doing funny poses with Shelley Hennig and Daniel Sharman, there are an endless amount of memories from each Howlercon. It’s hard to single out my favorite moments with each cast member, as there are four years’ worth of them! I can promise that if you had the chance to attend and meet the cast yourself, you know just how incredible of an experience that is. It makes saying goodbye that much more difficult for everyone—including the cast.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the same lovely ladies who run Howlercon also put together a Maze Runner convention in Atlanta, GA called Gladercon. It was a small, intimate affair and provided a lot of one on one time with the cast members in attendance. The attendees were absolutely delightful and the cast seemed overjoyed to be there, with most of their family present at the convention. I am beyond grateful Gladercon happened, as the Maze Runner cast feels like extended family members to me. It was one of the best conventions I have ever attended and will most likely be the only convention where everyone knows me by name!

Without Betsy, Amy and everyone who helped to put these conventions on through the years, who knows if I would have been given these same opportunities and met the beautiful people I did. I owe them more than they know and I’m eternally appreciative they decided to do this for the fans and cast alike. Thank you for five absolutely unforgettable conventions filled with people I love, experiences I’ll hold dear, and everlasting memories. I, as well as many other, appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. So for now it’s not goodbye—but see you later!