Rahr West Art Museum Director, Greg Vadney, says the Sputnik story has generated “so much interest for the museum,” and Sputnikfest itself has gotten a lot of attention through the years.
Today marks the 14th year of the wacky celebration of space, science fiction, and art all day long.
Vadney tells us it’s “an amazing oddity that a large chunk of the pickup truck-sized satellite fell here” back on September 5th, 1962, and was discovered in the early morning hours by a pair of Manitowoc police officers.
Sputnikfest will team up with Art Slam for “an onsite collision of art and sci-fi” throughout the day, and the festival will continue to offer live music, a costume contest for humans and pets, food trucks, and beverages. Returning to Sputnikfest are longtime favorites like the Space Debris Costume Contest and the $1,000 dollar Alien Drop. Newly-added events this year include: a 5K ArtRun/Walk among the public art murals downtown and on the waterfront. And, an evening comedy performance of Sputnik Manitowoc by “Let Me Be Frank Productions” inside the museum’s Ruth West Gallery.
