The beginning of July in the Twin Cities carries a diverse plethora of events and fun things to do, for all walks of life. Well, besides Taste of MN, backyard barbecues, and all the patriotic celebration, you can also get your nerd on at CONvergence.

CONvergence is an annual convention for fans of Science Fiction and Fantasy in all media, held each July. It’s a 4-day event with more than 4,000 attendees, and the premiere event of our kind in the upper mid-west.

The non-profit event runs Thursday, July 1 through Sunday, July 4th and at-the-door tickets are still available. Past guests of honor at our convention have included author Neil Gaiman, the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000, actor Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), comic book writer Len Wein (creator of Wolverine), and author Mercedes Lackey.

All money raised gets reinvested into the local community through partnerships with groups like the Geek Partnership Society that bring rocket scientists and comic book illustrators to speak at elementary schools, send kids to Space Camp, etc.

There are guests of honor meet & greets, discussion panels, a number of dances, live band performances, video gaming and board gaming, all-night parties, a costume masquerade, a 24-hour anime room, a wonderful movie room with hundreds of couches brought in, free food, and a lot more. The schedule of events (now numbering over 400 different events during the weekend) for 2010 is available at the convention website.

Every year there is a different theme (film noir, space exploration, monsters, comedy in sci-fi, etc.) and this year’s theme is “Bring on the Bad Guys!” (aka VILLAINS!)

CONvergence is a Midwest tradition and our own slice of “Geek Brigadoon” that shimmers into existence only four days a year. Hundreds of committed volunteers make it a reality.

The convention is held at Sheraton Bloomington, and you can register online.

For more information visit the convention website.