A Trip to the Time Traveller's Reunion-Part Three

A Trip to the Time Traveller's Reunion-Part Three

Sunday was a busier day than Saturday, with more activity as people flitted around Sherbrooke Village to tour the town and see the steampunk workshops. And there is much to see in the Village, including the well-stocked General Store, St. Mary's Printery, the Sherbrooke Drug Store (where they demonstrate the making of Sherbrooke Village Rosewater Hand Cream) and one of the favorites of the weekend, the Ambrotype Photography Studio.

The studio is on the second floor of the General Store, run by two charming ladies, where visitors can learn about photographic techniques of the 1800s and have their ambrotype picture taken with the 1905 AGFA Camera (ambrotype photography was invented by sculptor Frederick Scott Archer in 1852, and is a unique form of photography in which pictures are taken on glass.). The end result is an amazing old-fashioned photographic treasure.





I was back at the vendor booth on Sunday morning, and then at noon I hosted a workshop on writing in the steampunk genre that was terrific fun. There were great insightful questions and discussions from the people that attended the workshop, and I enjoyed it very much.


After my workshop, I managed to catch the last few minutes of the costuming tutorial, (alas, I had to miss most of the talk as it was scheduled at the same time as mine, but I still got to see a bit about the history of bustles). Then I attended the Mad Medicine and Strange Surgeries presentation, a thoroughly fascinating and entertaining discourse about Victorian medicine and surgery. Other workshops that happened on the weekend included Steampunk 101, Steampunk Songwriting, Phantastical Contraptions & Steampunk Curiosities and an Open House at the Sherbrooke Village Wardrobe Department.



My Sunday wrapped up back at the vendor room, and then a quick, early supper at the What Cheer Tea Room. As my friends and I had several hours of driving ahead, we left Sherbrooke Village before the closing ceremonies unfortunately (although we did see a bit of the Promenade), but it was a wonderful weekend nonetheless.

A Trip to the Time Traveller's Reunion-Part Two

A Trip to the Time Traveller's Reunion-Part Two

As promised, here’s the next thrilling installment of my steampunk adventures at the Time Traveller’s Reunion.

My first stop upon arrival was the vendor building, located in Sherbrooke Village’s Temperance Hall, to set up my book table for Mechanized Masterpieces. That room fairly burst with a wonderful eclectic mix of artisans and merchants with an astounding spectacle of Victorian style clothing, steampunk jewelry, leather goods, crafts and contraptions.

A Steampunk Wii Remote

Exhibits ranged from The Monkey’s Paw Curio Shop, with its delightful array of trinkets and gewgaws, to The Graces’ Attar Natural Perfumery (where I bought some Airship Pirate Soap), the Tandy Leather Factory, and the Steampunk Montreal table with an amazing presentation of steamed-up gadgets, just to name a few.

Most of my Saturday was spent in the vendor room, though I did venture out for my Q and A in the afternoon, where I sat in the Village Courthouse and answered questions from my eager public.

In the early hours of the evening, everyone sauntered down to the What Cheer Tea Room for a delicious supper (and I highly recommend their desserts, so tasty). To end Saturday evening there was an entertaining cabaret, featuring the talented band, Eli August and The Abandoned Buildings and a showing of short movies from the Silent Film Era.

So ends today's installment of my steampunk adventures. Come back tomorrow for more on the workshops and Sherbrooke Village.

A Trip to the Time Traveller's Reunion-Part One

A Trip to the Time Traveller's Reunion-Part One

This past weekend I took a steampunk step back in time when I attended the Time Traveller's Reunion in historic Sherbrooke Village, Nova Scotia.  The event was a wondrous Victorian occasion, organized by the Jules Verne Phantastical Society and the Sherbrooke Village officials. I was kindly invited to be a guest speaker in my capacity as one of the authors in the book, Mechanized Masterpieces: A Steampunk Anthology.

The event location, Sherbrooke Village, is nestled in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, and is a museum town of living history, depicting a typical Nova Scotian village from 1860 to pre-WW1. It has, among many fascinating buildings, a working woodturner shop, blacksmith, pottery shop, and printery. And this past weekend of June 15th-16th, it hosted a barrage of ever-so elegant steampunk enthusiasts.


The weekend was a grand affair, a fashionable, mechanical (steam-powered of course) and highly Victorian
celebration, with workshops, vendors, musicians, and strange contraptions. An impressive array of costuming and other steampunk paraphernalia was on display, as well as the entertaining workshops and guests, some evening cinema on Saturday, and even Garden Party with music and cucumber sandwiches to end out Sunday. For two days, the parasols twirled, gentlemen tipped their hats, and marvellous inventors demonstrated their amazing gadgets.

I’ll be discussing everything (including my guest appearances) in more detail, in A Trip to the Time Traveller's Reunion-Part Two. So stroll back tomorrow, if you please for more delights and wonders.