On March 13th members of the Manticore Society reported to the Hanami Cogs and Petals picnic at Lake Balboa. The good Captain made very good use of his new photographic reporting equipment. The day started off with a lovely gathering of steampunks from near and far to gather at the beautiful and sprawling Lake Balboa in Van Nyes, California. The Cogs and Petals Picnic was headed by the beloved members of the society Ms. Sheyne and Mr. Glenn. So many people were at this event, one of the camera men who took our group photo was a bit overwhelmed to say the least! We were pleased to see so many of the Manticore Society and the League of S.T.E.A.M. in attendance as well as delighted to meet so many new faces! There was something for everyone in the park; catching up with lost contacts, a few games to play, blankets to lounge upon, plentiful food to snack on, a dog in a pirate hat, bountiful scenery to take in, and people watching! Captain Wong Wei took many wonderful pictures of the people and the view we were surrounded by as we all chatted about with many of the men and women, enjoying the many different animals in and out of the water and, of course, admiring the few cherry blossoms that did bloom at the time. There were not that many that bloomed at the time because of the very cold season but the few that did were beautiful!
There was also a cosplay photoshoot near our event and it was fun seeing all the different outfits worn by both the steampunk and cosplay groups. As it neared the night it was quite chilly so the picnic was wrapped up as soon as the sun started to go down but there was a lot of talk about events yet to come. If there’s anything common about any steampunk event it's that we do NOT stop talking about present or future projects, places to buy interesting materials, and events to come! We did not all go right away, we lingered along with a group that included our gracious hosts, very grateful that they put this all together for everyone!
This March's Chrononaut was a very special one for a few members of the Manticore Society indeed! Both Ms. Merci and the good Captain are cast members in the San Diego Repo! shadowcast entitled Elective Surgery. The Captain is the shemp of all trades (doing the parts of lead GENcop, mustache driver, band leader and reporter to name a few) and Ms. Merci brings to life the part of operatic sensation Blind Mag. And this night Elective Surgery performed a small preview of their upcoming shadowcast. Despite a few early technical difficulties, the number was performed with high acclaim and attention from the audience! It was great to see the hard work of the cast come to life!
At the Elective Surgery booth there was a delicious blood-stain designed cake available per slice per donation as well as the usual stickers and posters. There was also a lovely welded gear necklace up for raffle! And after the performance, there were many pictures taken of the cast in various poses by Jerry Abuan.
Everything seemed to come to a halt when those magnificent pantomime performers, the Steam Powered Giraffe, took to the stage! Hardly anyone moved from their spot! For those who are not familiar, Steam Powered Giraffe is a comedic performance troupe whom dress as steam powered robots and mimic the movements and sounds of the beings they dress as. And what an exciting show it was! A whole night's worth of comedy, songs, and entertainment to watch. If you've never seen the wonder that is Steam Powered Giraffe, we urge you to do so at least once! You shalt not be disappointed! http://www.steampoweredgiraffe.com/
Everyone was very very happy after they performed and Ms. Merci had the pleasure of talking to some of the people who ran their merchandise booth (as they were right next to the Obscure Discoveries table). The Captain bought one of their albums and Ms. Merci a sticker, and one of the gentlemen went over the beautiful artwork in the sleeve of the album.
At the end of the night, Elective Surgery raffled off the necklace and the lucky winner was Ms. Merci herself! The necklace was made and donated by Mr. Paris, another merchant at Chrononaut. It was a terrific night where people let go of the ordinary, took in the extraordinary and were delighted all night!
The pictures Captain Wong Wei took of the night can be found on Mad Calamity Photos.
- Report by Ms. Merc & Photos by Captain Wong Wei -
This Saturday (3-27-10) the League of S.T.E.A.M. is proud to host 'An Evening with the Obscure' at Bar Sinister in Hollywood, California from 10:00pm to 2:00am. Twisted Gypsy joins the League of S.T.E.A.M. as Sir Conrad Wright’s freshly caught vampiric beauties. There will also be a special premiere of a new League of S.T..E.A.M. episode for the first time ever as part of the ambient entertainment. This event is 18+ with a special $5.00 offer at the door if you're in Steampunk attire or $10.00 before midnight, dress code is enforced. Hope to see you there!
Hanami (lit. "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, "flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms, sakura).
On Saturday March 13th Manticore members Ms. Sheyne and Mr. Glenn shall be hosting a Steampunk Hanami Picnic at Anthony C. Beilenson Park Park (aka Lake Balboa) in Van Nuys CA. This is a pot luck all ages picnic where everyone is encouraged to bring food and drinks. Also don't forget to bring your blankets or chairs to sit on. Steampunk is not required but highly encouraged, though remember we will be sitting out in the sun on the ground, so make sure you are comfortable. Also due to the nature that it is a public park it's suggested to those in attendance to leave any 'convincing' weapons at home. Also since this park usually fills up fairly quickly on weekends do not expect optimal parking so please wear shoes accordingly as you maybe doing a bit of walking.
Saturday March 13th Noon Lake Balboa (Anthony C. Beilenson Park - Formerly Balboa Park) 6300 Balboa Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406
Here is a list of areas where the event may take place...
Spot A: First choice to host the picnic but as it is one of the more desirable areas we may not be able to get it. Spot B: Second choice, it's up on a hill behind a man made waterfall. Spot C: Closer to parking and has a few cherry blossom trees.
On Thursday, March 11th Chrononaut presents an evening of Automatons and Alchemical Aberrations. A night where mad science runs rampant blurring the boundaries between the soft flesh and hard metal. With this in mind Chrononaut presents a grand exhibition celebrating the publication of a wondrous book penned by Dexter Palmer, The Dream of Perpetual Motion, telling the tale of prisoner aboard an airship crewed entirely by a clockwork creatures and a disembodied voice. Free copies of the novel and posters will be given away.
Special musical guests of the night will be an overdue appearance by Colonel P. A. Walter I’s remarkable mechanical creations; the musical singing comedic troupe known collectively as Steam Powered Giraffe. They are either the most sophisticated fusion of steam and artificial intelligence technology produced in the late Victorian era or one of the most original musical and theatrical acts to be associated with the steampunk movement. You decide.
Opening for the musical mechanicals are Elective Surgery, San Diego’s Repo! The Genetic Opera shadowcast who will be performing selected scenes from the only musical film ever made about the horrors of overpriced internal organs.
Also in attendance will be various vendors showcasing new and exciting creations fresh from their labs such as Obscure Discoveries. And as always the musical selections of house DJ Professor Greyshade.
Join us, Thursday, March 11th from 7 pm to 11 pm. Entry is $8 and is all ages, at Queen Bee's 3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, CA 92104
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