Port Townsend will embrace a history that might have been with its Brass Screw Confederacy: a Steampunk Hootenanny, June 8-10, 2012. Sponsored by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Network (YPN), the three-day event introduces a new twist on the city’s Victorian heritage, taking place in Port Townsend’s National Historic Landmark Districts.
The Brass Screw Confederacy event invites participants to step into a world somewhere between 1881 and a “time yet to be,” celebrating creative genius, weird science and a big brass propeller. Festivities will include live music, a strange science fair, absinthe tastings and burlesque, as well as a Steampunk zombie hunt. Performers, artist-vendors (known as “bodgers” in the Steampunk world), and an extraordinarily well-dressed assembly of participants will transform Port Townsend once again into the “City of Dreams.”
Event co-chair Dominc Svornich says, “Sometimes you need to look backward, in order to go forward. We view Steampunk as a positive regression, drawing a new audience to experience our Victorian seaport and arts community.”
What is Steampunk?
According to Wikipedia, “Steampunk is a literary genre which came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s and incorporates elements of science fiction, fantasy, alternative history, horror, and speculative fiction. It involves a setting where steam power is widely used—whether in an alternate history such as Victorian era Britain or “Wild West”-era United States —that incorporates elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of Steampunk often feature anachronistic technology, or futuristic innovations as Victorians might have envisioned them, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. “
This event is sponsored by The Bishop and Swan Hotels, Quimper Sound, and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce/YPN. A portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to the Port Townsend School District’s science and arts programs to inspire Port Townsend’s students to dream of the past, even as they build its future.
For event details, schedules and ticketing information, visit www.brass-screw.org or contact the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce at 360.385.7869 or www.jeffcountychamber.org.