Cosplay fanfare at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo on April 11. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) came to McCormick Place in Chicago for a much anticipated second weekend of April.

A record 100,000 fans attended C2E2 in which cosplay characters posed for photos and people waited in long lines to say hello, get autographs and photo opportunities with celebrities with some fans giving their favs handmade gifts as a gesture of appreciation and fandom.

Actor Neil Newbon, renowned for Newbon’s voice role in the popular video game Baldur’s Gate 3, had a long queue of fans waiting to see the actor on Friday.

A cosplayer channels singer Sabrina Carpenter. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

When Newbon arrived at the autograph table, people waiting in line cheered and clapped. Newbon received a present of a boxed ceramic item by one appreciative fan.

To all fans, Newbon said, “Thank you very much for everybody embracing us with the community.”

A big draw this year was the 40th anniversary of the film “The Breakfast Club” released in 1985 by late director John Hughes, whose childhood included residing in Northbrook.

The film is set at Shermer High School, said to be possibly based on Shermerville or for Shermer Road in Northbrook. Northbrook was first called Shermerville.

Hughes attended Glenbrook North High School and while much of “The Breakfast Club” was shot in Des Plaines, Northbrook school hallways and corridors were based on GBN high school days by Hughes.

Actor Anthony Michael Hall (left) of “The Breakfast Club” fame poses for a selfie. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

For the first time in 40 years, “Brat Pack” cast members, including Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy were brought together on April 12 for a staged convention appearance and podcast.

During the Saturday panel, the club members shared memories of Hughes and of set locations. Hughes is also renowned for filming scenes in Northbrook for the 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” starring Matthew Broderick.

GBN’s outside staircase to the high school’s auditorium is famous for one of the Ferris scenes. The stairs are still there to visit.

Hall told Chronicle Media on opening day, Friday, April 11, “How are you Northbrook? Good to see you. I remember shooting there years ago with John Hughes and I’m always happy to be back in Chicago. God bless everybody in Northbrook.”

The midways were full of fans at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

Jessica Villa of Villa Park helped daughter Liliana, 13, an eighth-grader, choose some merchandise from many of the convention vendors. Liliana’s siblings Nathaniel, 15, a high school freshman and Julian, 18, also attended.

Jessica Villa explained what she hoped the three siblings would glean from C2E2.

“I grew them up on the culture, comics and anime and everything, just continuing the tradition basically,” the children’s parent said.

“It’s super happy, it’s exciting, it’s a vibe, it’s fun,” Villa added.

According to the C2E2 website, “If you’ve always dreamed of attending the biggest geek party in the Midwest, then this is your weekend to geek out with other nerdy Chicagoans.”

Learn more about the annual fandom at https://www.c2e2.com.