Steampunk visits Lafayette

      The Steampunk and Maker's Fair, a joint adventure between Cité des Arts and the Lafayette Science Museum, will be 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, at both attractions and the Lafayette Public Library in downtown Lafayette. 

      The Steampunk movement started as a literary genre that is associated with the industrialization of the late 1800s and the futuristic writings of Jules Verne. It has expanded into music, costuming, accessories and invention. Enter the “Maker's,” who are both inventors and producers that bring their unique ideas to life. The “marriage” of these two unique groups will showcase Lafayette as an incubator for creative people and inventors, including existing businesses.  

     The Festival will feature live performance, including music, contests of all kinds (fashion, literary, beards, etc.) demonstrations, food and vendors. (The Louisiana Beard and Facial Hair Association will be organizing the Fair Beard and Mustache Competition.) Special performances for "Steampunk after Dark" will be an original musical by Travis Guillory titled “The Undertaker and His Wife” and a performance of "Boom Boom Burlesque" at Cité Des Arts.

     InventureWorks will be organizing "The Vault" pitch event for University of Louisiana-Lafayette and South Louisiana Community College students of Industrial Design, Architecture and Engineering. Up to 10 students will be invited to participate with winners receiving valuable prizes as well as mentorship from the UL College of Business Administration and incubation at Louisiana Economic Development Authority’s Opportunity Machine. Ideas should be submitted electronically by Oct. 25 to the InventureWorks website at www.inventureworks.com/submit/. Visit www.inventureworks.com/vault for more information.

What’s new at the Lafayette Science Museum

     During the fall, the Lafayette Science Museum and Planetarium goes all out. 

     First, the museum hosts a “Bach Lunch” free music series beginning at 11:15 a.m. most Fridays in Parc San Souci, corner of Polk, Congress and Vermilion streets in downtown Lafayette. Restaurants serve up great food (by purchase) and bands perform free. 

     In October, the Museum of Fear opens nightly, a haunted house that’s so much more, and the month culminates with the Zombie Walk on Oct. 26. Folks in costumes (or perhaps escaping from “The Walking Dead”) begin their zombie trek from Parc San Souci and travel throughout the downtown Lafayette streets.

     “It’s so much fun to see people get scared,” said Kevin Krantz, director of the Lafayette Science Museum and Planetarium. “The Zombie Walk is more performance art than anything else.”

     Finally, on Nov. 9, the museum teams up with Cité des Arts for the annual Steampunk and Makers Fair. 

     In the works are more partnerships, one with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette’s Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) Center, where the museum will highlight all of the impressive things happening at LITE.

     Another new feature to debut soon at the museum is the virtual aquarium.

     “We don’t have to clean it,” Krantz joked about the massive aquarium with hundreds of salt water fish people can view through 3-D glasses. “We don’t have to feed them either.”

     The following is the Bach Lunch schedule for fall, 2013:

     October 4: Les Freres Michot with food by Chris’ Po-Boys, Ema’s Café.

     October 11: The Mercy Brothers with food by Creole Lunch House, Hub City Diner, Joey’s Specialty Foods and Roly Poly.

     October 18: Sassafras Jubilee with food by Agave Cantina, O’Charley’s Restaurant and Joey’s Specialty Foods.

     October 25: The Yvette Landry Band with Chick Fil A, Deano’s, iMonelli and Poupart’s Bakery.

     November 1: Pine Leaf Trio with food by The French Press, Jefferson Street Pub and Zea’s Rotisserie & Grill.

     November 8: Les Bassettes with food by Cena to Go and Bailey’s Seafood & Grill.