Snowdown Durango will host its 2015 Steampunk Snowdown Kick-off Party on Friday. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad grange at the depot.

“We’re really excited to have it at the train station,” said Linda Brockway, co-coordinator of Snowdown. “It’s going to be a huge, fun, social event.”

Food will be provided by The Lost Dog Bar & Lounge, and a cash bar also will be available. People are encouraged to wear “futuristic Victorian” costumes, as the décor will match the theme. The official Snowdown poster, designed by Durangoan Kevin Dawson, will be revealed.

The grange is accessed by going through the railroad museum. The bar will be in the museum, and food will be in the grange.

Brockway said there is a lot of interest in this Snowdown, with people getting excited about it even earlier than in previous years. Snowdown, which has been around since 1979, relies on all-volunteer teams to stage the events.

Steampunk Snowdown 2015 will run from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1.

For more information about the event or to learn more about the Steampunk theme, visit www.snowdown.org or Snowdown Durango’s Facebook page.

Elaine Severson is a student intern in her junior year at Fort Lewis College.