PORT TOWNSEND — Olympic Peninsula Steam, the sponsor of two Port Townsend festivals, has been granted nonprofit status, which its director feels will allow it to raise money and eventually make a profit.
“This is just fantastic,” said Nathan Barnett of Port Townsend, who runs the company with his wife, Cindy Madsen.
“It opens the door to donations and sponsorships, it will allow us to accept matching funds, and people who contribute to us can take a tax deduction.”
Olympic Peninsula Steam will sponsor a holiday salon from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 14 at World’s End, 1020 Water St.
The group so far has sponsored two editions of the Brass Screw Confederacy, a steampunk gathering that has taken place for the past two years in June.
It also took on the Victorian Festival in March this year.
In October, it also joined with Key City Public Theatre to host a preview of “Zombie Town” and put on the Port Townsend Haunted Bordello.
Barnett said that although steampunk and Victoriana aren’t obvious matches, they blend well together.
“The 21st century has some great technology, and the 19th-century era had great aesthetics,” he said.
“Steampunk is about bringing those together.”
The next Victorian Festival is scheduled for March 22-24, while the third annual Brass Screw Confederacy is set June 7-9.
Madsen said next year’s Victorian Festival “will be a whole lot more exciting” than last year’s, with a parade and several other events.
Barnett won’t provide any details about next year’s Brass Screw Confederacy, aside from saying the theme is “Octopi Port Townsend.”
“With the first one, we were just on adrenaline, and with the second one, we started building an organization,” he said.
“People had a blast. We had some tough spots, but right now, more and more people are telling me they can’t wait for the next one.”
Barnett and Madsen applied for nonprofit status before they had even put on a festival, but it took two years to get the approval.
When the approval notice finally arrived Monday, Barnett was “doing cartwheels down the street,” he said, and began to plot other strategies, such as developing a phone app that provides information about local attractions with a combination of fact and fantasy.
Festivals haven’t made much money, but the group hasn’t lost money, either.
“We made enough to cover our expenses and are at about zero, which is what we expected,” Barnett said.
With nonprofit status, the contributions will increase, Barnett hopes, and will allow Olympic Peninsula Steam to advertise its events and capitalize on its already considerable word of mouth.
“We want to let people know this is happening and need to find the best way to get information out,” he said.
“I want people to come here from New York and Florida and Finland and find that we are a great destination if you are a steampunk.”
The Olympic Peninsula Steam website is http://tinyurl.com/pdn-peninsulasteam.
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
