PORT TOWNSEND –– The streets of Port Townsend have been taken over by parasols, periscopes and a little of the paranormal.
Hundreds of goggled visitors from all over the great Pacific Northwest have descended on the city with their twisted takes on Victorian aesthetics for the third annual Brass Screw Confederacy Steampunk Festival, which closes its three-day reign over the Key City today.
“We’re here to take over, and so far, there hasn’t been much resistance,” said Jim “Werner von Putin” Cohen of Tacoma.
An octopus attached to Cohen’s velvet top hat served as a reminder that the fans of the retro-futuristic genre are here to “Octopi” Port Townsend this weekend.
“We’ve got tentacles all over,” he said.
At Pope Marine Park, 601 Water St., steampunkers danced, dueled and chased phony airships.
The competitive set turned to Memorial Field, where they engaged in a tactical croquet tournament, knocking oversized balls through wickets guarded by flamingos and made out of horse statues.
“When all else fails, cheat,” Rose Mattison of Tacoma said as she eschewed her mallet for her foot to nudge a ball through a wicket.
Inside the American Legion Hall at 209 Monroe St., festival attendees pored over silvery accessories, torn-lace gloves and the trademark steampunk goggles displayed by vendors from across the Northwest.
A general admission pass for $25 will get participants into most of the events, although some require an extra admission charge.
Continues today
Festival events continuing through today include:
■ Bazaar of the Bizarre — 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the American Legion Hall, 209 Monroe St.
■ Airship Apprentice Tournament — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Whistle Stop Toys, 1005 Water St.
■ Inaugural Tactical Croquet Tourney — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Memorial Field, 550 Washington St.
■ Brass Screw Chautauqua — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Key City Public Theatre, 419 Washington St., and the Bishop Victorian Hotel Garden Room, 714 Washington St.
■ Victorian Tea — 1 p.m. at the Commander’s Beach House, 400 Hudson St. Cost is $25. Reservations are required.
For more information or to make reservations, visit www.brass-screw.com.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com.
