Gearing up for the 2017 Springfield Steampunk Festival

The Steampunk Society of Vermont, a federally recognized nonprofit based in Springfield, Vermont, is hosting the third annual Springfield Steampunk Festival on Sept. 23 and Sept. 24 at Hartness House Inn.

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2017-05-24 / Local Gearing up for the 2017 Springfield Steampunk Festival This spring, the Steampunk Society of VT hosted a cosplay event in Keene as a fundraiser to raise seed money for the September Steampunk Festival. This event, called the March Hare’s Made Cosplay Soiree, was a big success and provided attendees the opportunity to sport costumes outside of the steampunk genre as this event was open to all types of cosplay. This spring, the Steampunk Society of VT hosted a cosplay event in Keene as a fundraiser to raise seed money for the September Steampunk Festival. This event, called the March Hare’s Made Cosplay Soiree, was a big success and provided attendees the opportunity to sport costumes outside of the steampunk genre as this event was open to all types of cosplay. SPRINGFIELD — The Steampunk Society of Vermont, a federally recognized nonprofit based in Springfield, Vermont, is hosting the third annual Springfield Steampunk Festival on Sept. 23 and Sept. 24 at Hartness House Inn. The Hartness House Inn is a Victorian Mansion located in Springfield, making it the perfect location for a steampunk-themed festival. This festival is a fundraiser used to create an educational scholarship program for Springfield students studying the STEAM subjects of science, technology, engineering, art, or math post high school. The theme for the 2017 Springfield Steampunk Festival is Steampunk Circus Spectacular. This circus/steampunk themed fantasy retro-futuristic weekend will feature workshops, circus-themed acts and activities, musicians, tea dueling, vendors, fashion show, children’s activities and crafts, photo booth, telescope observatory tour, absinthe tasting, talks and more. This is a family friendly event with kids 11 and under getting into the festival for free. This spring, the Steampunk Society of Vermont hosted a cosplay event in Keene, as a fundraiser to raise seed money for the September festival. This event, called the March Hare’s Made Cosplay Soiree, was a big success and provided attendees the opportunity to sport costumes outside of the steampunk genre as this event was open to all types of cosplay. As you can imagine there were many Alice-in-Wonderland-inspired costumes. The Steampunk Society of Vermont hopes to branch out and continue to organize more small scale events outside of the yearly September festival in the future. As the nonprofit is run exclusively by volunteers, it is essential to have a significant amount of volunteers available the weekend of the festival. The Steampunk Society of Vermont is actively recruiting for festival volunteers to performs jobs such as: set up, break down, parking, security, performers, ticket booth staff, kids' program assistants and more. Those willing to volunteer for a four-hour shift over the course of the festival will earn themselves a free weekend pass to the Springfield Steampunk Festival. Those interested in volunteering can submit a volunteer application at: http://springfieldvtsteampunkfest.com/volunteerapp2017.html In addition to recruiting for volunteers, the festival is looking for non-food and food vendors for the weekend. There are also sponsorship packages available for local businesses or individuals who would like to sponsor the festival. It’s a great marketing opportunity for local businesses and a way to support the Springfield community and students by helping to support the scholarship program. To learn more about the Steampunk Society of VT: http://www.steampunksocietyvt.org/ To learn more about the festival, sponsorship, or to buytickets: http://springfieldvtsteampunkfest.com. For those unfamiliar with steampunk, here are the basics: — The term “steampunk” was originally a term coined by author K.W. Jeter to describe a genre of fiction set in Victorian times but inclusive of modern or futuristic technology. — The “steam” in steampunk refers to the use of steam-power, common during much of the 19th century. The “punk” relates to engaging in the unconventional and setting one’s self apart by means of fashion, style, art or attitude. — This term, describing a melding of old and new, is now applied to a variety of artistic endeavors from literature, music, fashion, film, décor and visual arts. — Visual art with a steampunk flavor will often employee the use of gears, pipes, clocks, machines, dirigibles, futuristic landscapes, and occasionally an octopus here and there. — Modern popular culture examples of films with steampunk elements are "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," "The Golden Compass," "Hugo" and "Wild, Wild West."