Steampunked?

Last weekend the kids went to something called a Steampunk Festival, and they had a good time even though it seemed to have evolved out of nowhere. I guess A had spoken to her buddy about it weeks back, but in the teenage mind, even 24 hours in the past is an eternity, so it was soon forgotten. The day before the big event A got a message outlining the details of the day, and needless to say we had to figure out the logistics of the event, especially since it was an all day affair.

Now call me clueless, my kids do it all the time, but I wasn't sure what Steampunk even was. I see signs and symbols for it now and then, but I'm still not clear what it is, despite repeated explanations from my kids. The event was sort of like Comic-Con in that there's a scene and people dress up in themed costumes and hang out, but it's not Comic-Con, which is a big deal. Even the Manga Festival that we attended in Boston was a big deal, filling a convention center, but I Steampunk was a bit of a mystery to me. I guess there are movies, some of which I may have even seen, that portray it.

Either way, Saturday morning we were scrambling to prepare. One of the complications was that it went from morning until evening, so meals had to be planned. Another problem was that we couldn't go at the same time as AG and AH, so that meant going down later and then trying to meet them. The final complication was that I had to work and couldn't help out. If I were free I would have actually gone to the thing. I find them interesting, at least the Manga festival was.

In the end it all worked out. The kids had a good time, though I'm not sure they were blown away by the whole thing. I almost think it's geared toward adults rather than young kids. AG, the dad who took them, seemed pretty into it, with elaborate costume et al. I'm glad the kids had a chance to go and also to hang with their buddy AH, whom they don't see that much because she goes to a different school. Plus, they got to be a part of the Steampunk scene, whatever that means.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to George for the pic.