CRAFTCOM 2017

We met the Ghostbusters at the CRAFTCOM Festival in Clawson, Michigan that took place over the Fathers Day weekend.  In it's first year, this community event brought together artists, craft beer makers, food trucks, and comic book culture for a fun time that let people enjoy the geeky side of life.  Ghostbusters Detroit and the Great Lakes Garrison of the 501st Legion, two great movie fan clubs, were there to greet people and the festival hosted a cosplay contest to encourage attendees to get into character as well.  Theater Bizarre was on hand as well with an elaborate tent promoting its annual masquerade extravaganza at Detroit's historic Masonic Temple which had developed a reputation as one of the best Halloween parties in the entire world.  DJs entertained the crowd with techno music and the event also featured performances by kids from The Detroit School of Rock & Pop and the musical group Wesley and the Crushers.

There also were a variety of vendors on hand selling crafts, comic books, toys and jewelry.  My daughter bought a Harry Potter themed necklace with the Gryffindor seal emblazoned on it that she hasn't taken off since picking it up at one of the CRAFTCOM exhibitor booths.  I noticed a lot of kids that we ran into at the festival had purchased handmade plush toys called Cool Critters that a vendor was selling.  Another vendor, Red Lava Toys, was selling customized Minecraft inspired action figures that also seemed to be very popular with the kids my children's age.  A local hardware store was crafting unique marshmallow shooters from pvc piping and duck tape that they were giving out for to kids for free.  My children pretended to hunt the giant inflatable T-Rex that was on hand with theirs.

A variety of craft beer places participated in hosting CRAFTCOM including Clawson's very own Black Lotus Brewery.  B. NEKTAR, from Ferndale Michigan, which specializes in meads (honey infused drinks) in addition to ciders and craft beers was my favorite exhibitor to try some samples from.  Shmaltz Brewing traveled all the way from Clifton Park, New York to share their Star Trek Klingon Imperial Porter which not only has a cool theme to it but also tasted great with a unique chocolate flavor to it.  Ommegang Brewery from Cooperstown New York also was there showing off their Game of Thrones branded Bend the Knee line of ales and wines.  Iconic Detroit area soda brand Faygo was also on hand to provide beverages to the Under 21 crowd and adults who didn't want to partake in the alcoholic drinks.

Although alcohol was a big part of this festival it was still very family-friendly with a Kids Zone that included free inflatable bounce houses, an arts and crafts area where Detroit Imagination Works helped kids craft unique projects, and HUB Stadium setup some bombowling lanes which combines horseshoes, bowling and football into one game.  My kids had a lot of fun creating there own super hero masks while we were there.

Hopefully CRAFTCOM was successful enough that its sponsors will bring it back next year because we had a lot of fun during its inaugural run.  For more information, visit craftcomfestival.com and stay tuned for announcements about 2018.