Friday, July 20, 2012

Steampunk Swap Meet- San Jose





September is time for the First Annual San Jose Steampunk Swap-O-Rama-Rama!

Just in time for Halloween Festivities!

So clean out those closets and craft bins, pantries and cubbies of clutter of all those items too useful to throw away but not actually doing you any good JUST NOW and bring them to our place in San Jose for an epic swap meet of awesome stuff....

How it works:  You bring your old crafts supplies, costumes, clothes, furniture, books, beads, toys, games, hardware, dishware, footwear, drapes, kitchen implements, tools, yarn, cloth, props and so on that you don't want or don't need any more but can't quite throw away.  They need a good home right?  Put them in the up-for-grabs pile and then sort through other people's stuff for your own unexpected gems!  Take home whatever you want.  Anything left over at 5pm will be packed off and donated to Savers, our local non profit thrift store that boasts a craft supplies section. 

Note:  Disputes will be handled with a quick game of rock-paper-scissors.  No money will be collected or allowed at this event.

When:  September 22, Drop off stuff from noon - 1.  Swap begins at 1pm - 4pm.  Pack up left overs from 4 - 5pm.  Donation trip to Savers at 5pm.
Where:  La Maisson de Captain and Mrs. St.Clair- 501 Raymond Ave.  San Jose, CA, 95128

What to Bring:

Yourself
Friends and Family members
Your old stuff
Bags to take things home in
Ideas about how you might use all this awesome stuff!
A lawn chair if you are going to hang around and watch the chaos unfold
Snacks if you want to eat something while you peruse the piles

RSVP encouraged but not required.

As always everyone is welcome.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Steampunk Weekend in the Gold Country with Trains!- Aug 4th & 5th



Join us in the Gold Country for a weekend of historic trains, live music and ripe blackberries, August 4th and 5th!

Jamestown, California has an historic district dedicated to 19th century railroads in California.  Its called Railtown 1897 (http://www.railtown1897.org/railtown/default.asp) and they are having a Singing Rails music festival and train showcase on August 4th and 5th (https://www.facebook.com/events/388353731224080/permalink/388353737890746/).  And if that weren't enough... the same weekend, in the same town, Jamestown is sponsoring the 1st annual Rods to Rails vintage car show featuring pre-1972 cars and bikes (http://www.norcalcars.com/carshows/2012/jamestown-rods-to-rails-carshow.aspx).

On top of that, my mom lives in nearby Sonora and her blackberry patch will be just coming ripe and in need of picking....She's got camping space on her property as well, if you want to sleep under the stars by a creek to complete your Gold Rush Weekend!

We'll leave Friday night or early Saturday Morning and come home Sunday night.  We'll probably dress in our steampunk best for a visit to the Railroad Historic Park for pictures and a picnic, thin finish the day with a visit to Main Street to see the Cars.  Sunday, we'll pick blackberries and enjoy the country life!

Here are the details:

Meet us Saturday August 4th at 11am at Railtown 1897 outside the ticket office.  Picnic under the trees at 1pm.  Train rides and pics to follow.

What to bring:
  • Friends, Family and Small Children if you have them
  • Your best Old West Steampunk ensembles
  • A camera to capture the fun
  • Money for sarsaparilla and train rides
  • Comfortable shoes for dancing to live music and wandering the park
  • A picnic lunch with something to share
  • A sun hat or parasol and sun screen... its warm in the hills!
Will you be camping with us at my Mom's place in Sonora?  - Please let me know.  We have limited space and its first come first served. 
Car show and dinner on Main Street at 5:30.  We'll probably try to eat at the Willow Steakhouse on account of their epic old timey atmosphere and excellent food. (http://www.mymotherlode.com/community/dining/3973/Willow-Steakhouse.html)
  • If you are planning to join us for dinner, bring money for that as well- Let us know so we can add you to the reservation!
Blackberry picking at 11am on Sunday and if we have time and inclination we might head over to Historic Old West Columbia State Park for more steampunk fun and gold panning.  Or we might make Blackberry Pie.  Hard to say for sure...
As always last minute additions are always welcome but it helps if we know you are coming!

Cheers,
The Captain and Mrs. St.Clair