Steampunk keeps promise to center

The Springfield Steampunk Festival was true to its word Tuesday, and delivered a check for $1,000 to the Springfield Community Center.

Related Story: Game on!
Steampunk Festival donation to fund pool table repairs.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20151014/NEWS02/151019709

Published October 14, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Steampunk keeps promise to center By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Steampunk Festival was true to its word Tuesday, and delivered a check for $1,000 to the Springfield Community Center. The money, which will go to the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, will be used to refurbish two of the center’s 100-year-old pool tables, said Andy Bladyka, the town’s recreation director. The money will also be used to purchase a new air hockey table for the town’s kids, he said. Sabrina Smith, the festival director for the Steampunk Festival, said the $1,000 comes from the three-day festival’s net proceeds, minus $2,000 in “seed” money set aside for next year’s festival. Smith said about 500 people came to the festival, held in early September in Springfield. Now just a few weeks later, next year’s festival is already being planned. Smith brought an oversized check to the Community Center Tuesday, and Bladyka told the gathering how he planned to spend the money. “The Community Center is really the perfect steampunk building,” said Selectman George McNaughton, who had suggested the steampunk theme more than a year ago during an arts brainstorming session in town. Town Manager Tom Yennerell thanked Smith for the contribution, and said it was a recognition of the success of the Steampunk festival. “We’re looking for many more,” Yennerell said. “Many happy returns.” McNaughton said the group had originally hoped to hold the Steampunk Festival at the building, but quickly realized it needed more space. It was moved to the Hartness House Inn and The Great Hall, both in Springfield. “It really wasn’t going to work here,” McNaughton said, expressing appreciation of the building’s architecture. The 1888 building at one time was a manufacturing facility — the first home of Jones & Lamson Machine Tool Co. in Springfield, before the manufacturing company moved to Clinton Street. The building was later converted to a private club for executives and managers in the machine tool industry, the Springfield Manufacturer’s Association. J&L and the manufacturers gave the building to the town in 1942. The building, in addition to the antique pool tables, has a candlepin bowling alley in its basement, and upstairs are large fireplaces as well as a gym. The building is home to the town’s senior center. Bladyka said the game room at the community center contained four pool tables, which are about 100 years old and originally came from Boston. He said that two of the tables had already been refurbished with new alignment for the table slates, wax between the gaps of the slate, plus new green baize fabric on the table surface. “They get an awful lot of use,” said Bladyka, who said the tables had been refurbished by local craftspeople for $250 to $300 each. The large air hockey table had already been purchased, he said, at a cost between $500 to $600. Once cold weather sets in, Bladyka said, the community center will become a hub of activity for the town’s children. During the daytime hours, the building is used by Lincoln Street and clients from Health Care and Rehabilitative Services. Bladyka said he had already put in the call for the pool tables to be refurbished, and the answer was they would be done later this month or in December. “Nothing gets done in Vermont during the month of November,” Bladyka said, referring to the state’s hunting culture.