“It looks like the wild wild west meets the industrial revolution,” said Samantha Gandy, events coordinator for the Greene County Historical Society, describing the era the Steam Punk Garden Party and Picnic, which  taking place on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“It’s basically going to be a huge picnic environment. You bring your own food, lay your blanket out and you enjoy the ambiance of the museum,” Gandy said.

Though the historical society has a twofold mission of preserving local history as well as preserving the building that served as a poor farm, the society also aims to provide intriguing and exciting experiences for the community,  said Matt Cumberledge, executive director of Greene County Historical Society.

“Every event is important for the community because it gets people out doing things and experiencing new things, as well as, the community fellowship it brings,” Cumberledge said.

This is the third year the picnic  will be held. This event, and the many others the society holds, are designed to not only foster community involvement but to raise funds for the upkeep of the facility, said Cumberledge.

“I hope it brings people to the grounds here at the Greene County Historical Society. It raises funds to keep this place going, and most importantly, I want people to come here and have a really really good time and enjoy themselves,” Cumberledge said. “It’s important to have fun and step out of the world as they know it and into something different.”

While the costume contest is the most central aspect of the event, Gandy said, the picnic will also host  a juggler, tea dueling (a competition consisting of various tea prepared by competitors to be judged by participants), sending off lanterns into the sky once it gets dark, a $15 industrial painting class where budding artists will create ‘really pretty hearts with cogs and wheels on it,’

“We chose [the clothing contest] because it’s a very interesting time and concept. There’s not a lot of that around here, and it brings something new to the community,” Gandy said.

The Greene County Historical Society Museum will be open during the entirety of the event.

“I just hope people have a really good time and they enjoy being at the museum, it’s open at the same time so they can see all the changes and new exhibits,” Gandy said.

The Steampunk event costs $10 to attend, with all proceeds benefit the efforts at the Greene County Historical Society.