Steampunk culture embraced at GO Art! event at Fairgrounds

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – A woman dressed in Steampunk outfit pops smoke bubbles during a concert by Celtic Cross. The band performed on the stage at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds during the Shakesbeer Steampunk Festival.

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council planned the festival that celebrates the inventive, retro-futuristic world of steampunk, which imagines a past that never happened and a future that never was. Steampunk blends 19th-century Victorian society with retro-futuristic, steam-powered technology.

Tom Keefer, left, and Michael Miskuly of Celtic Cross dressed in steampunk outfits for their concert.

Michael Miskuly performed with an electric violin and took the music close to the crowd.

Nathan Miller of Fairport was one of the vendors for the festival. He creates steampunk weaponry using a 3-D printer and paint. Many of these items are like Nerf guns that he sells for $30 to $35. They are quite popular, he said. He also sells steampunk-themed journals.

Jackie Swaby, the educator director and gallery curator for GO Art!, served as tea master during a tea dueling competition featuring sisters, Indigo and Pretty. Jodi Fisher, program director and Statewide Community Retreat coordinator for GO Art!, judged the contest. “Frederick the Fool” in back right was an entertainer during the festival.

With tea dueling, the competitors need to dunk biscuits in a hot tea. Swaby made the concoction which was a blend of her own organic tea.

There was an artisan market featuring handmade goods and steampunk-inspired creations.

The festival also had beer-tastings, a costume contest, interactive activities and food vendors.