Wisconsin Wild West Fest & Steampunk Emporium, Aug 28-Sep26

[Gryphon]

The Chippewa Valley Renaissance Faire will be hosting its first annual Wild West Fest & Steampunk Emporium at their spiffing festival grounds on 2302 Nelson Road, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin 54729, over five weekends from August 28 to September 26, 2010.  Call 715-723-9999 for attendence info or to request a vendor application, or go to the website at:

http://www.festfun.com/?110310

I'm not one of the organizers, but I will be a vendor at this event, so I thought a post here would be appropriate should there be any other BG denizens interested in attending or peddling their wares.  Chippewa Falls is about 2 1/2 hours north of Madison and 2 hours west of the Twin Cities on I-94.  

The best part:  the faire organizers are new to Things Steamy, and are open to suggestions should any be interested in arranging a particular feature for the event.  They seem to have in mind less of a Con and more of a Western Steam (as opposed to Renaissance) Faire, and I would very much like to see other area Makers, performers, and airship crews participating.  We have an opportunity here to create something truly wonderful in West Central Wisconsin.

[Gryphon]

Please forgive the double post, but I was just speaking with the event organizer this weekend and they are looking for performers for this event.  Specifically, they want a balloonist to give rides; a stagecoach to give rides; any kind of working steam traction engine or other steam-powered device; and are accepting audition tapes from steampunk musical acts or stage performers.  I have contact info for any interested persons.

[Gryphon]

Not so much a bump, as a bump in the road....

The shareholders have voted to postpone the opening of the Chippewa Valley Wild West Fest & Steampunk Emporium for a year, so we won't get our show until 2011.  They will be holding a Halloween event, however, and are still interested in booking talent and vendors for next year's steampunk fest.

[Captain Quinlin Hopkins]

Sorry to hear about the delay, but nice to know they're holding off until they can properly organize.  If you've never run something like this you can't comprehend how difficult it can be.  and nothing kills an event like being run poorly the first year out. 
Best of luck and I hope it all works out for 2011.   

[niko88]

To bad we will have to wait for it for another year.  Hopefully by then I will have a full outfit and crew together!

[Gryphon]

For those of us in Central Wisconsin who are feeling all steamed up with no place to go now that the Fest has been postponed, we are considering hosting a Steampunk Nerf LARP on the weekend of September 18 at our crew's private field near Neillsville.  We have a barracks, a nice little village, and a couple of entrenched firebases onsite.  This would be an invitation-only event, so you must let me know if you are interested in receiving an invitation.  Any takers?