Amy Conover poses in a ghoulish costume as Marquette Fringe prepares for its inaugural Fall Phantasm fundraising event to be held Saturday. The group plans to use the funds raised from the event to bring a fringe festival to Marquette in fall 2022. (Photo courtesy of Jerry Emlich)

HARVEY – For those looking for a night full of fantastical creatures and spooky ghouls, Fringe Marquette is partnering with Travel Marquette and Joyful Terror to host a fundraising event at Lakenenland Sculpture Park from 6-11 p.m. Saturday. The Fall Phantasm is an immersive event to raise funds for a fringe festival that the group hopes to bring to the city of Marquette in fall 2022.

Attendees of the event will see a variety of both written and performed arts with something for all ages and interests, said Michael Bradford, president of Marquette Fringe.

“There are many levels to this event. Most (exciting) is that it’s an immersive performance theatrical experience,” he said. “Everyone has a specific role and there is a plot that holds everything together that attendees can witness throughout the night. In the middle of this performative plot and storytelling, there are writers and poets who submitted pieces to be drafted into a zine and read by local actors around bonfires. One of my favorite parts, however, is the bazaar. It is an area where people can acquire tickets and exchange them for drinks at the elixir bar. The bar is nonalcoholic so it’s open to all ages, but there are a lot of unique drinks catered to this event. In addition, there will be some small games to win masks and be a part of the phantasm.

“There is also a silent auction to help raise funds for the fringe as well. We had pieces donated by local businesses and artists, so they are truly unique.”

The group plans to use the entire space of the Lakenenland Sculpture Park and have performers from all artistic backgrounds.

“Any kind of interest you may have when it comes to the performing arts whether it be music, theater, poetry, storytelling — this event has it. There is no shortage of things to experience from dancing, to a contortionist, to theater — it’s all packed into a five-hour night,” Bradford said.

Marquette Fringe is an organization that seeks to provide the community with a platform for artists to create art, Bradford said.

“The goal of Marquette Fringe is to create this accessible platform for both the artists of the community and the community at large to experience and create art, but in a new experimental way. Our slogan is ‘far north of ordinary’ and we sure hope to keep delivering on that,” he said.