And about cons, theres gotta be some close to you, you just have to keep looking. The first con I went to I heard about from a Groupon deal.
Idaho is potato cowboy country so we get no local cons and very (VERY) few decent concerts. The nearest I'd expect a con to get to here is Salt Lake City, which is too far to travel for just a con. Oh well, I guess I'll just go fold and glue more paper....lol