Katy Pooler of Vassalboro has extra eyes Sunday at the annual Maine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Nerd Fest at The Olde Mill Place at 934 Main St. in Vassalboro. Pooler says she is portraying Transponder Snail from “One Piece,” a Japanese manga series.  Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

VASSALBORO — They say no one has ever seen Batman and Bruce Wayne in the same room, but attendees of Sunday’s Maine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Nerd Fest in Vassalboro will tell you otherwise.

The civic-minded millionaire and his alter-ego superhero were there, in the same room, at The Olde Mill Place at 934 Main St.

An estimated 800 people, many dressed as comic book heroes, video game villains, anime protagonists and more turned out to The Olde Mill Place for the annual event.

Batman and Batgirl, portrayed Sunday by Keith Dinsmore and his wife, Mollie, of Portland join other attendees at the annual Maine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Nerd Fest at The Olde Mill Place at 934 Main St. in Vassalboro. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Sci-fi author and event organizer Michael W. Huard said the gathering, dubbed the “nerd Super Bowl” for its proximity to next Sunday’s football game, has become a pillar for nerds and geeks seeking community in central Maine.

“They have (conventions) in Bangor and Portland,” Huard said, “but nothing between them, so we figured there was there was a big need for something like this.”

The event has grown exponentially since it moved to Vassalboro after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, according to Huard. More vendors turned out for 2024’s Nerd Fest than any other year, with about 60 individuals and businesses offering everything from sword fighting classes and rare comic books to witches’ potions and crystal jewelry.

Admiral Captain Dartanio Darkenwulf makes announcements Sunday during the annual Maine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Nerd Fest at The Olde Mill Place at 934 Main St. in Vassalboro. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Gabriel Booker, 7, of Augusta tries a light saber Sunday while shopping with his parents Angelica and Michael Booker during the annual Maine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Nerd Fest at The Olde Mill Place at 934 Main St. in Vassalboro. The boy is wearing a “Star Wars” costume for the event. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Kim Roy was one of those vendors, selling 3D-printed lizards and ornaments alongside top hats painted and designed to look as though they were made of metal. Standing alone behind her table, she said she used to sell at conventions throughout New England with her husband, Aaron Feldmus, before his death in December.

“We started because he was really into Marvel and comics and crafts, and we eventually learned how to start using a 3D printer,” Roy said. “We started printing stuff and everybody said: ‘Oh, we like that. You should make that and sell them,’ and that’s what we did.”

Nerd Fest and events like it provide a unique environment for people to showcase their creativity, passions and interests, according to a 16-year-old attendee who gave her name only as Annalise. She was dressed in white and wearing pink face paint, cosplaying as Funtime Freddy from the video game “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”

“Honestly, it’s just all about fun, I think,” Annalise said. “Like, when else can you paint yourself pink and dress up like a video game character?”

Adam Menard, who said he has been a balloon sculptor in Maine for more than 25 years, was another vendor fueled by a lifelong passion. With the flash of his hands and a couple seconds’ time, Menard was crafting animals, swords, masks, statuettes and more for anyone who asked.

Dancers Marge Bartlett of Appleton, left, J.D. Southerd of Waterville and Nuala Libby of Waterville learn medieval and English country dancing Sunday while taking part in Arioso Ballroom’s dance lessons during the annual Maine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Nerd Fest at The Olde Mill Place at 934 Main St. in Vassalboro. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

“I can do pretty much anything you ask me to,” he said as he stretched a pair of red and yellow balloons into a bow and arrow. “I started out at a nonprofit organization trying to get kids interested in science. We set up one day, and my grandmother asked me if I could figure out how to twist balloons. I was 13 at the time and she handed me a book. I started twisting from that book, and then, from there, it just grew into a passion.”

Nerd Fest organizer Huard said next year’s event is already in the works and expected to be even bigger than this year’s.

“We’re just making this bigger and better,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere. We love this mill in Vassalboro. The mill’s manager and the owner are here, dressed up as a queen and Gandalf (from J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”), so that tells you that they love this stuff, too.”

Ethan Frost of China tries a light-up “Double Dragon” spinning sword that is among the items being sold Sunday during the annual Maine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Nerd Fest at The Olde Mill Place at 934 Main St. in Vassalboro. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel