The Blair County Convention Center is scheduled this summer to host a mix of conferences and events, including ones likely to draw attention from Corvette lovers, bird watchers, science fiction fans and tattoo artists.

During what used to be recognized as a slower period for the convention center, events booked during June indicate that the facility’s personnel will be busy as they plan for successive events.

In June, the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Corvette Restorers Society is returning for the first time in three years to set up a show from June 4 to 6 at the convention center.

The owners of classic cars will take over the lower level, convention center marketing and sales manager Garrett Giedroc said Wednesday after a meeting where he provided a list of upcoming events to the authority that manages the convention center.

The Corvette show, according to Giedroc, will translate into the sale of about 250 local hotel rooms.

The regional show for Corvette fans expected to draw a large audience according to the Pittsburgh chapter which has posted online messages encouraging early registration to avoid sold-out classes.

A week after the Corvettes leave, the convention center is scheduled to host the 16th biannual Sci-Fi Valley Con, from June 12 to 14. That event, with admission through online and at-the-door ticket sales, typically brings in a crowd for the event with panel discussions, games, costume contests and opportunities to mix science fiction, horror, fantasy, the supernatural and pop culture.

The following weekend, from June 19 to 21, the convention center will be ready to host the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology’s 2026 Birding Festival, an event that moves annually from county to county.

Birders from all over Pennsylvania are expected to meet up at the convention center where they’ll have a chance to increase their knowledge of birds and to share their experiences. Organizers have lined up speakers, workshops and several field trips including ones to locations identified as the county’s top birding sites: Canoe Creek State Park, the Lower Trail and Plummer’s Hollow. The schedule, with registration open through June 14, also includes an introduction to nature journaling at the Fort Roberdeau Historical Site. More information is available at https://pabirds.org.

Among other events scheduled this summer at the convention center will be the return of the fifth annual Keystone State Tattoo Expo from July 31 to Aug. 2. About 120 tattoo artists and vendors are scheduled to participate, with admission tickets available online and at the door.

The line-up of events also includes an end-of-summer concert on Aug. 30 featuring Space Cowboys and Oh Black Water, in tribute to hit songs by the Doobie Brothers and The Steve Miller Band.

Other events

The convention center’s schedule also includes tonight’s (May 21) Blair Go Red for Women fundraising dinner.

From May 27 to 28, the convention center will host the PA Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program. That two-day daytime event is expected to draw about 750 people, Giedroc reported.

On May 30, the convention center will be the site of a Central Pennsylvania American History Museum program entitled Voices of Valor. That event features speakers sharing personal experiences and historical insight from the front lines. It concludes with a banquet featuring keynote speaker Rocky Bleier, a Vietnam veteran, Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient and four-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers. More information and ticket information is posted on the museum’s website at http://cpahm.org.

The convention center will also be the site of a fundraising dinner on July 9 to benefit the Railroaders Memorial Museum, featuring keynote speaker Wick Moorman, retired Norfolk Southern CEO, with tickets available through links posted on the museum’s website at railroadcity.org.

The benefit dinner coincides with the anticipated July 8 arrival of Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive now scheduled to be in the Altoona area through July 11 as part of a coast-to-coast tour in recognition of America’s 250th birthday.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.