The Masquerade: Laughs, Style, and Plush
by Suzanne Church

The Masquerade, the last in a slew of costume contests at Dragon*Con, fulfilled its role as a must-see event. 

Peter David and George Perez hosted with style, humor, and discretion.  They arrived covered in snakes and shared their rubber entourage with the child participants.

During the opening section of the evening, a variety of children brought a chorus of "awwws" from the audience.  The winner, Thomas Wagamon, made a black, paper maché and cloth Alien costume and drew a great reaction from his boogie-dance, the pastime of xenomorphs everywhere.

During the judging for the children's category, Misty Lee, a magician with a fabulous sense of humor, did her cards-under-glass trick but with the minor prop substitutions of a ketchup-and-cheese sandwich and a banana gun. 

Some notable performances came from The Imperial Storm Janitors as they swept up the stage, a graceful dance by Cassandra Munro, and a series of rockin’ moves by Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wicked Witch of the West.  The most startling and heartwarming moment was an unexpected marriage proposal during the Stargate SG-1 skit.  Judge Denise Crosby ran up and gave the bride-to-be a big hug.

Members of Troop 501 performed their duties, ushering a few too-long and too-painful acts off the stage including Starbuck and Sheeba's middle-aged-and-boring skit and a character who danced with giant Asian fans.

Judges Kari Byron, Yvonne Craig, Misty Lee, Eric Powell, Tom Stanley, and Denise Crosby performed their duties so efficiently, that The Brobdingnagian Bards only had time for two songs during the second interlude.

After the awards presentation, Peter David said, "[He] had a great time, it was good to work with George Perez, and most importantly the audience was great."  He added that he'd host the Masquerade any time.

• Best in Show Overall: Leah Levin as “Ballerina Hippo and Alligator.”

• Best in Show Master’s Division: A Figment of Your Dementia as “Blue Man Group.”

• Best Original: The Narato Group

• Best Novice: Jamie Price as “Dead Man Walking.”

• Best Journeyman: Karen Harris as “Phoenix.”

• Best Narnia: Chip Malinowski as “A Fawn from Aslan's Army.”

• Best Animation: Chris Brown as “Poop Dog.”

• Best Humor: The Imperial Storm Janitors as “Real Men of Genius.”

• Best Fantasy: Cassandra Monroe as “May from House of Flying Daggers.”