QWERTYFEST MKE '25: The Typewriter Ball

The Typewriter Ball is the big night at QWERTYFEST MKE. 

It takes place in the Turner Hall, a grand structure built by the Turners, a German-American athletic, cultural, and political association.

Honoring Turners who died for the Union in the Civil War:

Herr Brosius looks like he's just enjoyed a nice stein of Bier.

We mingled at the start of the evening and admired artistically decorated typewriters:

Soon it was time for the typing contest. There were just four entrants, including Greg Giles boldly competing on a Mignon:

My Imperial Good Companion no. 5 and I managed to win the coveted Brown Fox trophy. It may have helped that the text to type was the opening of The Typewriter Revolution.

A crowd of hundreds assembled for the events on the main stage ...

... including poetry recitations such as this one from Lisa Marie Farver (about her love of Sir David Attenborough) ...

... and this dramatic performance from Chirskira Caillouet:

We enjoyed a standup comedy routine by Angela M.:

There were sounds from Nineteen Thirteen (note typewriter on the left) ...

... and the Boston Typewriter Orchestra:

This piece involved some alarming scraping sounds. Another included a typewriter-theremin!

Meanwhile, upstairs, vendors offered all sorts of experiences, and public typewriters awaited our creativity.

It was great to see friends such as Kirk Jackson (Nashville Typewriter) and Bob Marshall (Typewriter Muse). And, Robert Messenger, I got to wear one of the typewriter neckties you gave me!

All told, it was a great kick-off to QWERTYFEST. But there was more to come ...