Peoria police issued an evacuation notice around 7 p.m. Friday for anyone within a mile of the BioUrja Renewables plant, located roughly a mile and a half from the civic center. The order remained in effect until about 1:30 p.m. Saturday while investigators searched the area. Civic center representatives said on social media that the building was evacuated and all Saturday events there were paused.

Organizers announced shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday that Day One was canceled, citing the open-ended nature of the police investigation and a separate nationwide ground stop that had scrambled travel for celebrity guests.

"Once we learned that the search is still ongoing, we made the decision to cancel Saturday. Sunday is still in limbo and will be determined once there are updates to the search," organizers said in their cancellation announcement. "Guests, vendors, artists, and others are on site and are wanting to do the show, but we will only open if it is deemed 100% safe to do so."

Hours later, the outlook changed. Organizers declared the event a "full go" for Sunday, with early wristband pickup at 9:30 a.m., the show floor opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m. They said updated celebrity, panel and photo-op schedules would be posted in the coming hours and asked attendees for patience as they "reconfigure this con into a single day event."

The costume contest, originally set for Saturday, will be held Sunday at a time still to be determined. Any single-day ticket will be honored for Sunday admission, organizers said. Details on refunds and transfers for Saturday tickets and photo ops were posted to the convention's social media accounts.

"Please come out and join us! There are plenty of vendors, artists, and celebs waiting to see you!!" organizers wrote.

The run-up to the cancellation had been chaotic. On Friday evening, organizers said some celebrity flights were still being arranged after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop, leaving airports congested and guests stranded. Some attendees and talent had flown into Chicago and driven to Peoria, while others remained at their home airports trying to catch the first available flight.

By about 6:45 a.m. Saturday, organizers still hoped the event would merely be delayed by the bomb investigation. They also confirmed that a slate of celebrity guests — including Rob Paulsen, Alex McKenna, Grey DeLisle, Omri Katz, Ron Perlman, Nakia Burrise, Randy Blythe, Rob Van Dam, Jeremy Clark and Emilio Rivera — would not appear because of travel complications.

Hours later, the convention scrapped its scheduled 9 a.m. opening. "As this is an unprecedented occurrence, we are working slowly to make sure all bases are covered. We are awaiting further word from the local authorities and the Civic Center," organizers said before announcing the full cancellation.

The disruption rippled beyond the convention floor. The bomb scare prompted a mass evacuation of residents near the ethanol plant, and the ground stop halted flights across the country, stranding travelers far from Peoria. For a regional comic convention that depends on out-of-town talent and fans, the twin emergencies arrived at the worst possible moment — the start of its biggest weekend.

By Saturday evening, organizers had pivoted to damage control and a pared-back Sunday. Whether the single-day format can absorb the crowds and programming originally spread across two days remains to be seen, but organizers said safety would govern the decision. "We will only open if it is deemed 100% safe to do so," they said.