RetroX pop culture event takes over downtown Idaho Falls

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - A pop culture event along the likes of Salt Lake City's FanX events took place here in Idaho Falls throughout Saturday with Idaho Falls RetroX.

This isn't the first time a Comic-Con like event has come to southeast Idaho. But the organizers say it's never been done to this scale.

And fans came out in full force. Within the first hour and a half, over 700 fans made their way through the door.

"There's a lot of emotions, you feel a lot different things when you get 706 in an hour and a half," said RetroX event planner Brandon Kimball. "We're excited to see what the final count is."

Even though south east Idaho has fans of all ages, there's been a gap in the area for stores and events that cater fans of comic book, classic toys, video games and science fiction. Some fans travel a long way to get their fix.

"Most of the time, fans, we have to travel out of state for an event like this," said Timberline 501 Stormtrooper Garrison Commander Erin Atwood. "Now we have it in our own backyard and we're excited to support Retro-X in their first year.  we're excited to see how they grow and how the community will benefit from it in the years to come."

The event was filled with people dressed as their favorite superheroes, villains, and characters from a galaxy far far away.

"The neat thing about being a costumer is when we wear our costumes, we're bringing that character and that environment to people who may not," said Atwood. "We see kids all the time of all ages, from 0 to 99, who see a stormtrooper in real life for the first time and it excites them."

Retro X was originally organized by local comic and toy collector's Brandon Kimball and Phillip Langston as a classic toy show. But as more people got involved, they say it grew to a celebration of all types of current and retro pop-culture.

"We realized that we're we're actually turning into more of a convention than a toy show," Kimball said. "So we decided to run with that and grow it off of that.

After the event's success, Brandon and Phillip say they and their sponsors are inspired.

"RetroX is coming back," said Kimball. "It's going to be bigger is going to be better!"