Steampunk roars back to Old Cowtown this weekend

More than a decade ago, Jacky Goerzen says, a curator and the farm manager at the Old Cowtown Museum brought an idea to the table.

“Hey, there’s this new thing around called steampunk and we should try it,” she recalled.

“We tried it and Wichita loved it. It’s one of our most popular events,” Goerzen, Old Cowtown director, said of Steampunk Weekend, taking place this Saturday and Sunday. “We get people from all walks of life that dress up and come out and have a cool day exploring what history would be like if steam took over everything.”

The event draws hundreds of people who enjoy the era and making the most of their creativity, she said.

“A lot of it is the same kind of people who go to comic-cons and that kind of thing,” Goerzen said. “You get creativity with your costuming; you can create your own character and (determine) what their role is in this steampunk-reality.”

Vendors at the Steampunk Weekend are as diverse as vintage teacups and ax throwing, she said. The weekend includes a costume competition, steampunk-themed gunfights, live music and dancers.

“We have a lot of cool people who come in and share their passion for costuming and creativity and history,” Goerzen said.

After taking a year off in 2020, the Steampunk Weekend returned last year, with a mask competition replacing the usual beard-and-mustache contest.

“You had to get a little too close and personal with people to judge their mustaches and beards, and with COVID we didn’t want to do that,” she said of the contest, which is returning in 2022.

STEAMPUNK WEEKEND

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 21; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 22

Where: Old Cowtown Museum, 1865 W. Museum Blvd.

Tickets: $9 adults, $8 seniors, $7 youth (ages 12-17), $6 kids (11), free for 4 and younger, at the gate