This month’s food truck rally will bring a peculiar and eccentric crowd to downtown Plant City as Main Street throws a steampunk themed bash.
Next Friday it will appear as if a wormhole has opened in downtown Plant City as men, women and children dressed in steampunk garb take part in the monthly food truck rally.
Plant City Main Street creates themed events for each of the 2018 food truck rallies. This month, Jane Waters, executive director of Plant City Main Street, is using a love of art to step through time and space with the steampunk themed event.
Steampunk combines history with modern technological features that are often inspired by science fiction. Often, the themed attire will feature Victorian clothing with a mad scientist twist. The outfits usually feature Mad Hatter-themed apparel like large hats or long cloaks mixed with a passion for steam-powered machinery.
“I wanted to do something very art focused, but very fun and very progressive,” Waters said.
Steampunk is cherished by many young adults, as is evident by the creation of similarly themed festivals, conventions and even restaurants like City Walk’s Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen.
For the event, Waters will have unique vendors like a jewelry maker — who ironically also works at the train depot — and themed artists, as well as exciting entertainment like a fire dancer and steampunk costume contest. There will even by a steampunk pony available for photos.
The costume contest is at 6:30 p.m. and the winner will receive a basket full of items donated by downtown merchants.
As Waters continues on at the helm of Main Street she said she hopes to help offer residents a downtown they are proud of, an area that meets their wants and desires and makes this city the best it can be.
“Even in an interview process with Main Street I suggested we do a steampunk event,” Waters said. “Even before coming on I thought, ‘man this is a great community for steampunk.’ It’s that vintage art feeling. We are a huge historical train depot destination already, so steampunk and that industrial steam-styled engine feel is already with us. So it just kind of made sense."
