Steampunk Digest - June 25, 2021

Another sign that steampunks are emerging from pandemic-induced hibernation: Professor Elemental and Frenchy and the Punk have both announced concert dates for 2021.

The Professor’s itinerary will take him to UK music venues as well as geek gatherings. They include Steampunk Stroud (Aug. 24), Wyntercon in Eastbourne (Oct. 29), the Bootle Literary Festival (Nov. 4-6), and the Sci-Fi Weekender in Great Yarmouth (Nov. 11-14). We’re told that more dates will follow. See the complete list on his website.

Meanwhile, Frenchy and the Punk have lined up gigs at this weekend’s Stupid Covid Steampunk Ball (see below) as well as the Colony Beer Garden in Woodstock, New York (June 27 with Dust Bowl Faeries); World of Faeries Festival near Chicago (Aug. 7-8); Key City Steampunk Festival in Gettysburg (Aug. 13-15); Porch Fest in Poughkeepsie (Aug. 22); and Enchanted Faerie Festival in York, Pennsylvania (Sept. 18).

They’re also offering a new Batfrogs apparel line designed by Samantha Stephenson, who is the “Frenchy” of the duo. Items include T-shirts in a variety of colors and styles, plus a full-color raincoat, women’s sleeveless dresses, leggings, men’s swim shorts, full-color socks, ties, flip-flops, beach towels, and mouse pads.

Items can be purchased on the Batfrogs website, but they’ll also be taking the Batfrogs Boutique on the road to the Key City festival as well as several artisan marketplaces: New York Modern Makers Market in Cold Springs (Aug. 21 and Sept. 25), and Walktoberfest in Highland, New York (Oct. 2-3). The latter are vending-only events with no musical performances.

Learn more on their website, or sign up for their mailing list to get notices of upcoming appearances.

Things appear to be full steam ahead for the Ministry of Steampunk as they’ve revealed more details about Asylum 2021, a series of events scheduled for late August at Kelham Hall and Newark-on-Trent. Billed as “Asylum; A Newark Hope,” it’s set to include the following:

• Asylum @ Kelham Hall, Aug. 28-30, featuring “talks, workshops, a curated market, performances, parades, exhibitions and the inaugural Coglympic Games.” Access to these will require a weekend or single-day wristband, and quantities are limited.

• Evenings @ The Asylum, Aug. 27-29, featuring separately ticketed events at Kelham Hall, including Lady Elsie’s Fashion Show on Saturday and The Time Travellers Ball on Sunday. Again, ticket quantities are limited.

• Newark Fringe, Aug. 29, a free festival in Newark-on-Trent with live music and steampunk traders. Programming at this event is subject to local and national safety guidelines, and the organizers will aim to keep the crowds to a manageable size.

• The Great Exhibition, a showcase and awards competition for 3D and 2D art projects, including props and contraptions. This will take place at Kelham Hall, with additional details to follow. You must have a wristband to participate.

As always, you can get more info and updates on The Ministry of Steampunk website and Welcome to the Asylum Facebook page.

Update: Festival director John Naylor issued this announcement on Friday: “We have been informed that Kelham Hall is in financial difficulties. We are suspending tickets until we can discuss options with both the administrators and the local authorities. Both are considering options at the moment and we hope to meet with them and of course see where we are going with the event. We cannot at this time give any more information nor answer questions but must ask you to be patient and await information. At this point we are as gob smacked as everyone else."

Update II: The BBC and other UK media outlets reported that the operator of Kelham Hall is in liquidation and the facility is closed. We have posted a news story about the latest developments.

Steampunk fans in and near Connecticut will converge Saturday at the Old Well Tavern in Simsbury (near Hartford) for the Stupid Covid Steampunk Ball. The event will include live music, panels, vendors, a dinner buffet, and absinthe tasting.

Joseph Kennedy will moderate a 5 p.m. author panel with Renee Fleury, Bert Gevera Piedmont, Jessica Lucci, Esther Wallace, and Elizabeth Chatsworth. Scott Lyons will demonstrate a steam engine build, and Jesse Bessette of Quarter Master Whips will present whip demos (presumably without live subjects). The evening will conclude with a musical performance by Frenchy and the Punk.

The event is usually held in February as the Stupid Cupid Steampunk Ball, but this year’s edition was delayed (and temporarily cancelled) due to the pandemic. Tickets cost $25 in advance and $35 at the door. You can purchase online tickets through Friday. See the Facebook page for a schedule and other info.

Meanwhile, steampunks in the Midwest will mingle with geeks from other eras as Times of Future Past takes place Saturday and Sunday at Winter Park in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, near Green Bay. The outdoor event will include cosplay, live music, educational demonstrations, an artisan marketplace, and opportunities to meet historical figures (or facsimiles) including Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Thomas Edison. A portion of the proceeds will go to Desert Veterans of Wisconsin, a non-profit that serves veterans in the region.

Admission costs $12 for adults and $6 for kids 6 to 12. Weekend passes are also available. See the website and Facebook page for more info.

The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, Maine is known to steampunk fans as host of the annual Southern Maine Steampunk Fair. But now the museum has another distinction as it received a Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). It’s one of 39 recipients for this year’s awards, which recognize “achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.”

The museum was honored for Century Saturdays, a series of virtual exhibitions that explored Maine’s history in the 16th through 20th centuries. The 19th century portal includes last year’s digital version of the steampunk fair. This year’s in-person fair is scheduled for Aug. 14.

Other AASLH award-winners include the Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center in Ridgefield, Connecticut; The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures in Kansas City; the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh; the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Wilmington, North Carolina; and the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio.

The awards will be presented Sept. 24 at the association’s annual meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas. See the complete list of winners on the AASLH website.

Introducing a new feature in The Steampunk Explorer: We now have tags! Previously, you could look up stories in broad categories like Cosplay, Events, People, etc. But now that we have hundreds of stories on the site, you can also look them up by more-granular topics like Burning Man, Obtainium Works, Watch City Festival, UK Festivals, etc.

Tags are accessible from a link in the Story menu, from the right sidebar (on a PC) or from the bottom of the page (on mobile devices). Or you can just follow them here:

Artists/Makers • Asylum Festival • Big River Festival • Brass Screw Alliance • Burning Man • Clockwork Alchemy • Cogs & Corsets • C.O.G.S. Expo • Conventions • Costumes • Design • Dragon Con • Eat & Drink • Edwardian Ball • Festivals • Games • Gaslight Steampunk Expo • History • Jewelry City Festival • Key City Festival • Kinetic Steam Works • Maker Faire • ModVic • Movies/TV • Museums • Music • Obtainium Works • Oddball Newt • Parodies • Prof. Elemental • Steampunk Symposium • TeslaCon • Theme Parks • UK Festivals • Watch City Festival • Wild Wild West Con.

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