Dunsmuir Steampunk Festival Hits Dunsmuir 2nd Saturday

The City of Dunsmuir, known for its “Dunsmuir Second Saturday” of events each month, held its 4^th Annual Steampunk Festival on the 2^nd Saturday of September.  

But Dunsmuir as a town being quirky and artsy all on its own, the Steampunk Festival was a draw not just for the subgenre of the steampunk movement in science fiction with its mixture of the Victorian era’s Industrial Revolution in the 1800s’s fashion consisting of hairstyling, jewelry, body modification, and make-up with its accessories of clocks, belts and gun holsters, but also for non-conforming vendors and people to participate and support the fun event that draws lots of out-of-towners.   

Many came prepared and dressed up in steampunk fashion of corsets, leather, helmets, goggles of goth, and fetishisms rooted in fantasy literature to participate in the costume contests. In contrast, others came to learn more about the gadgets, historical recreations, and the overall steampunk costumery and culture. But mostly, it is a fun event of unusualness that most like to check out and see what there is to offer.

Some of the entertainment included popular local live music from Matt Jolliff, Tom Kay, Liquid Amber, and The Shoelace Brigade. There was a magic show by the clever chap and all-around “Tricky Person,” Ron Giesecke, which drew many to watch all of his shows throughout the day.  Adults, along with their kids enjoyed the Kids Crafts and Game Area. Shasta Mountain Studio designed crafts for kids to make and wear which included steampunk masks and hats, and beetle puzzles. There was also a lot of chalk art along the downtown streets where the festival was held.  

 Not all the 28 vendors were selling steam-punkish stuff for those that want to indulge, but also totally non-steampunk of town supporting or tourist-friendly attractions such as the Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce’s Pie Social with 35 large pies and 35 individual pies all homemade by local people to help support the Steampunk Festival. There was also a quilt raffle and a treasure hunt raffle.  There was a table of “Picaso” drawings from young girls for sale to raise funds for their entrepreneurism(picture 100). (picture:123) A Poetry Upon Request booth.  Girl Scout Troop #70205 of Northern California recruiting volunteers and girls ages Kindergarten to 3^rd grade from Castella to Mount Shasta (contact Shauna Heilman at (530) 925-9633 for information).  Moving yard art made of welded auto parts from a Dunsmuir Auto Shop called Da Vinci Creations which sold out quickly.  And even an impromptu local man walking around offering his design to wear as a funky hat. Atomic M Industries was immensely popular with 3-dimensional printing of moveable interactive plastic toys which is not only popular for the incredibly young and old, but also for those with autism.  

The big draw of the festival was the costume contest. The contestants were divided into 4 categories: Kids from 0 to 8 years old, and from 9 to 17, women, and men.  While there were almost 30 women contestants, most of the men were from the Lodi Corvette Club and have been coming for the last 3 years to be a part of the festival as a club excursion.  The three top winners of each category received a plaque and some cash.

Costume Contest Categories:

Men’s 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25
Women’s 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25
Kids 9-17 years old: 1st $50, 2nd $25, 3rd Gift Bag
Kids 0-8 years old 1st $50, 2nd $25, 3rd Gift Bag

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The Steampunk Festival was also a draw for photographers. Some were affiliated, but photographers were walking around just for a fun project to shoot all the unusual, costumed people. (picture 86) Chance Ariniesch, a filmmaker from Oakland came up to do a film with the newer Dunsmuir art studio and gallery called Darmera.  

Kris Jones, Chairperson of the Steampunk Committee says of the eventful day, “We’re about community and family. We have a history with the railroad. So many of our businesses donated and participated. We had a great crowd. People from Oregon and lots of people from the Redding area, not to mention all over Siskiyou County came to see and participate. The vendors did well. We had a variety of different food vendors not to mention our local restaurants had people eating out of their hands, the food was all that good. Next year for our 5th anniversary, we will have Parent Magazine also covering this big family fun event.”