What began with the desire to have some kind of a festival in Hannibal over Labor Day weekend has evolved into an area phenomenon, drawing thousands of people from all over the world.
The very first Big River Steampunk Festival was held in Hannibal on Labor Day Weekend in 2014. The event draw participants from around the region (in fact, even a few from several states away!) as well as curious onlookers who stopped in to find out what Steampunk was all about. After its successful debut, organizers quickly went to work on planning the next Big River Steampunk Festival.
Illinois regulators are monitoring gas stations in the state for price gouging. Gas prices will likely be higher for the holiday weekend in part because now-downgraded hurricane is disrupting fuel supplies in the Gulf of Mexico.