In 2022, That’s 4 Entertainment turned Hartford, Conn. into the ultimate 90s reunion. Stars of film and television that shaped millennial’s childhoods were brought together for the first time to savor one-on-one opportunities to meet, take photos and participate in panels. For actress Vinessa Shaw, she had no idea how incomparable her first ever convention would be.

90s Con was an experience she won’t soon forget, where she and Hocus Pocus co-stars Omri Katz and Jason Marsden publicly reunited in a space that not only cherished their characters but gave convention goers the space to share those cherished moments with them.

“It was right after the pandemic, pretty much when everything was opening back up,” Shaw said. “People were just ready to get out and be nostalgic about the 90s, so for me, having that experience as my first was insane.”

The first person in Shaw’s autograph line was a memorable one. The minute she walked around the front of her table, the young woman collapsed in her arms. She shared how tough the last few years were for her; the feeling of hopelessness that plagued her days until she decided to rewatch Hocus Pocus. She told Shaw that rewatching the film was her own prescription to heal herself, and thanked her for being such an integral part of her childhood.

Shaw admits that interaction was overwhelming, especially for her first fan encounter at her first convention, but it meant so much to her. The more the weekend transpired, the more stories similar to that first one made their way to her.

That weekend at 90s Con also gave her the chance to express her admiration for her own idols. She was mere feet away from Christopher Lloyd when she said she was practically hyperventilating. Katz and Marsden kept asking her if she was ok while she stood and pointed at Lloyd sitting in the Back to the Future Delorean. They realized how much he meant to her, and asked the staff if they could pose alongside Lloyd for a photo op.

“There’s this iconic picture of the three of us with Christopher Lloyd in the Delorean,” she said. “He didn’t even care or know who we were, which is fine, I didn’t care. I [told him], ‘I love you so much’ and then I was like, ‘Wait… I love you so much? Why did I say that?’ But this was me being how most fans are about us and this movie, and I was literally hyperventilating for Doc Brown.”

Three years later, the cast has attended countless conventions, with their most recent being Nightmare Weekend Chicago. The newly released Funko Pop figurines of Max and Allison are perched on Shaw and Katz’s tables, eagerly awaiting for collectors to get them signed. Shaw said she has the collector gene in her and passed it down to her son, who is currently obsessed with Hot Wheels and tells people, “I have 279!”

A few years ago she found coins that her father had gifted her and decided to start researching them. Before she knew it, she had fallen down the rabbit hole of different types of pennies and errors on coins that make them more valuable. She still has her collection, and might pick it back up one day. For now, it’s all about funding the Hot Wheels collection.

When Vinesssa Shaw made her convention debut, she had no idea how impactful they would be. They continue to surprise her as she greets fans, signing their memorabilia and taking photos with her arms wrapped around them. Those moments are just as special for her, surrounded by people who get to share their stories and appreciation for a film that means so much to so many.