Time Travelers Steampunk Convention Returns to Quincy, Illinois

The Time Travelers Convention will make its second run this weekend on the riverfront of Quincy, Illinois, with a program including music, comedy, costume contests, a facial hair competition, tea dueling, nerf dueling, and more.

The event, set for May 19-21 at Quincy’s Clat Adams Park, is produced by the organizers of the Big River Steampunk Festival in nearby Hannibal, Missouri. The entertainment lineup features pirate comedy troupe Little Beard and the ScallyWags along with singer/songwriter Thawind Mills. About 40 vendors will be on hand.

Several entertainers who were originally scheduled, including Doc Phineas, The Ragged Blade Band, and The Midnight Wanderers, won’t be appearing due to low ticket sales.

Festival admission is free, but it will include one ticketed event, a Titanic-themed ball on Saturday at 6 p.m. with Little Beard and the ScallyWags plus Thawind Mills. The ball will be preceded by a fashion show. It will take place at Native Grill & Wings, located at 138 North Front St. near the park. Tickets cost $30 and are available on the Big River festival website.

Saturday’s activities will kick off at 10 a.m. with a parade led by the Jacksonville Drumline. Last year’s inaugural festival was dampened by rain, but this time the weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday predicts sunny skies.

The full schedule is on the Big River festival website as a downloadable Microsoft Word file. See the Big River festival Facebook page for additional updates.

Clat Adams Bicentennial Park is located at 201 N Front St, Quincy, IL 62301.

The Big River Steampunk Festival, held over Labor Day weekend, is one of the largest steampunk gatherings in the U.S. This year’s event is set for Sept. 1-4 in Hannibal, best known as Mark Twain’s boyhood home.