KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — One of Knoxville's biggest events is returning this year to The Scruffy City, bringing with it celebrity guests and reunions from some fans' favorite shows.
Fanboy Expo will run from Aug. 5 through Aug. 7 at the Knoxville Convention Center. The event usually brings out thousands of fans who take their chance to meet some of the biggest names behind pop culture. This year, a new event is also planned.
Fans will be able to have dinner with The CHiPs at Bernadette's Crystal Gardens, in Market Square. The cast of the show "CHiPs" will be in town and answer questions from fans during the buffet-style dinner. Tickets for the dinner cost around $200 per person.
One of the biggest names at the event will be Christopher Lloyd, best known for his iconic role as Doctor Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future movies. He also appeared in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "The Addams Family" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
Thomas Jane will also be at Fanboy Expo, better known as The Punisher in the 2004 movie. He also starred in films like "Thin Red Line" and "Stephen King's The Mist."
Two former cast members from "Little House on the Prairie" will also be at the show. Alison Arngrim, Karen Grassle and Melissa Gilbert be available for photos and autographs during Fanboy Expo.
Tie Carrere, who played Nani Pelekai in the Disney classic "Lilo and Stich," will also be available for fans to get photos and autographs. She's not the only Disney star that will join the expo, either.
Adassa, who was the voice of Dolores Madrigal in "Encanto," will also be at the event. Her voice helped carry the movie's soundtrack to record-breaking heights.
Armin Shimerman, best known for his role as Quark in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," will also attend the convention. He is also an accomplished author with titles like "Betrayal of Angels" and "A Sea of Troubles."
There will also be a lineup of voices from the classic series, "Avatar: The Last Airbender."
Michaela Jill Murphy, also known as Jessie Flower, is expected to attend. She voiced Toph Beifong in the classic series and will be joined by Jennie Kwan, who voiced Suki in the same series, and Jack Desena who is best known for voicing Sokka in the series.
Fan packages range from as much as $355 to $95 for anyone who wants to meet some of the guests. They include a professional photo and an autograph. The full list of packages is available online.
General admission tickets cost $30 on Friday, $35 on Saturday and $25 on Sunday.
