PORT TOWNSEND — Steampunk, the melding of science fiction and Victoriana, fits perfectly in Port Townsend.
It’s because of both the setting and how the town attracts people who are a bit out of kilter.
“Steampunks are smart and quirky, are not conformists and don’t shop at the Gap,” said Nathan Barnett, who is organizing this weekend’s event called the Brass Screw Confederacy.
“Well, not exclusively.”
The fourth annual Brass Screw Confederacy began Friday and continues today (Saturday) and Sunday (see schedule, below) in various locations in and around downtown Port Townsend, centered mostly on Pope Marine Park but extending into Fort Worden State Park and other downtown locales.
Barnett said 400 people could attend this year’s festival judging by past years, when the number of people who showed up was roughly double the number of advance-ticket sales.
General admission tickets are $35, including access to most events, aside from Saturday night’s Steampunk Hootenanny, which costs $15.
Student tickets are $20, not including the Hootenanny, while the Victorian Tea, which requires a reservation, costs $25.
The $50 Brass Pass option and the $120 VIP packages are sold out.
Most of the attendees come from the Pacific Northwest; otherwise, there is no strict age, income or race demographic.
“Steampunks come from all walks of life,” said Xoe Huffman, the festival’s event coordinator.
“I come from Goth, so I look for that in steampunk, while someone else may come from bluegrass but they are still comfortable in that environment.”
Because steampunks come from all walks of life, they often bring back some of that aesthetic into their everyday lives through little quirky touches and subtle items that aren’t completely out of touch in the boardroom.
Steampunk is admittedly hard to define.
It draws inspiration from a vintage era that runs roughly between 1840 and 1920, a period of high progress with a lot of similarities to modern times.
Since it’s an imaginary world, steampunk props can be anachronistic, with one person’s costume containing items from several different eras.
Barnett said a standard cellphone can become steampunk by creating a handmade wood or leather case with brass tacks and ornate decorations.
“The idea of steampunk is to make everything look beautiful, [especially] things that no one thinks of as beautiful anymore,” Huffman said.
“The decade in which we are living now has so much information and technology, and things are moving incredibly fast — way faster than humans can keep up.”
Huffman said one of the big steampunk draws is the opportunity to make things by hand.
“During the Victorian age, the same thing was happening,” she said.
“They were flying by the seat of their pants, and every year, there was something new and exciting.”
Eclectic hootenanny
The weekend’s big event is the Steampunk Hootenanny, from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday in Building 204 at Fort Worden State Park.
It will include “bands, burlesque, absinthe, magic and mayhem,” according to the schedule, with several activities occurring simultaneously.
“This is more than a concert; it’s an experience,” Barnett said.
“It will be an amazing place where you can see it all.”
The High Command, where attendees can purchase or pick up tickets, first played Friday and repeats from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cotton Building, 607 Water St.
The Bazaar of the Bizarre Makers Market is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion Hall, 209 Monroe St.
Saturday’s events
■ Timeline Inventions card game, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Completely Puzzled, 1013 Water St.
■ “Straight Razor Shaving,” 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Key City Public Theatre, 419 Washington St.
■ “Readings from Steampunk Literature,” 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Bishop Hotel lower level, 714 Washington St.; also, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
■ Wet plate photography, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., American Legion Hall.
■ “Labratorium: Makers of Marvelous Things,” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Jefferson County Historical Museum, 540 Water St.; also, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
■ “Drinking from the Font of Ideas,” 10 a.m. to noon, Bishop Hotel lower level.
■ “Introduction to Steampunk,” 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pope Marine Building.
■ Red Queen’s Challenge Croquet Mallet Contest, 11:30 a.m. to noon, Memorial Field.
■ Brass Screw Tactical Croquet Tournament, noon to 2 p.m., Memorial Field,
■ “The Basics of Game Design,” noon to 1 p.m., Pope Marine Building.
■ Duelatorium: dart gun dueling, noon to 1 p.m., Pope Marine Park; also, 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
■ “Victorian High Tech Arms,” noon to 1 p.m., Key City Public Theatre.
■ “BRASS” reading, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Key City Public Theatre.
■ “Rise of Aester: Steampunk 101,” 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Pope Marine Building.
■ Dogwood Plays the Cotton, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Cotton Building.
■ “Loyal Order of Corseted Ladies,” 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Key City Public Theatre.
■ Sound and Fury Morris Dancers, 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Pope Marine Park.
■ “Jack the Ripper,” 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., Key City Public Theatre.
■ “Airships: A History and a Future,” 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., Bishop Hotel Lower Level.
■ “Readings from Manly Poetry,” 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Key City Public Theatre.
Sunday’s events
■ “History for Writers,” 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Bishop Hotel lower level.
■ Hangover Panel with Bands and Brass Screw Command, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Key City Public Theatre.
■ Brass Screw Tactical Croquet, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Memorial Field.
■ Cheapass Games, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Whistle Stop Toys, 1005 Water St.
■ “Skill for Shipwrecked Sailors,” noon to 1 p.m., Key City Public Theatre.
■ “Steampunk for the Casual Fan,” noon to 1 p.m., Bishop Hotel lower level.
■ Scavenger Hunt, 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., Pope Marine Park.
■ “Airship Apprentice,” 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Whistle Stop Toys.
■ “Victorian Machine Guns,” 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Key City Public Theatre.
■ Victorian Tea (reservations only), 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Fort Worden Commons.
■ The Frog Dies at the End, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Bishop Hotel lower level.
■ “Naval Landing Party,” 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Key City Public Theatre.
For more information on the weekend event, go to www.brass-screw.org.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
