A Wild West town. Steampunks. A gear swap and a potluck barbecue. This is not a convention, it is not a festival, it is a rendezvous, which is the correct word for what happens when people who normally sprint through packed event schedules decide to just sit in a historically costumed mountain town and talk to each other.
The Steampunk Rendezvous runs September 25 to 27 in Winthrop, Washington, which already looks like a set someone built for a Western and forgot to tear down. The schedule is deliberately light: Friday night at the Methow Valley Ciderhouse with live old-time music, a potluck and gear swap Saturday evening, and a photo shoot Sunday morning at the Shafer Museum. The organizers put it plainly: the purpose is to slow down, hang out, and get to know each other better. “Friendships are forged here, and projects are planned.” That is either the best pitch for a steampunk event I have heard this year, or the most honest one.
No vendor hall, no panel schedule, no con badge with a lanyard. Just the town, the gear, and whoever shows up. Somebody buy me a train ticket and I will meet you at Three Fingered Jack’s.