'I bought a typewriter before I bought a bed': New festival celebrates Milwaukee invention

MILWAUKEE (CBS58) -- This weekend you can celebrate all things typewriter at the first-ever QWERTYFEST MKE.

"We built Milwaukee on beer and typewriters," reads the logo of the first-ever QWERTYFEST MKE.

The new festival is the brainchild of On Milwaukee senior writer Molly Snyder and author Tea Krulos. The two love typewriters and want to celebrate the device's connection to Milwaukee. The typewriter was invented 150 years ago, right in our city.

"We have the beer. We got the cheese, the motorcycles. All that is just awesome, but let's put typewriters on that short list," Snyder said. "The keyboard that we have on our phones, on our computers, was also invented by this guy from Milwaukee."

Friday was national typewriter day and the 150th anniversary of the creation of the typewriter. Mayor Cavalier Johnson declared Saturday, June 24, as QWERTY MKE Day.

The weekend celebration started with an opening night party on Friday at Dandy with live music and a "Clackathon" competition.

The event brought one woman from Illinois to learn more about typewriters and gather with fellow lovers of the century-old device.

"I really love writing, and I just like the old-school feel of the typewriter and the little bell," Chicago resident Chirskira Caillouet said.

Local poet Bree Legan came out to the fest to celebrate the local art community.

"I had no idea it was invented in Milwaukee. That's news to me, and that's so cool," Legan said.

Legan tells CBS 58 there is nothing quite like a typewriter.

"I bought a typewriter before I bought a bed," they said.

"As someone who really loves poetry and who is a product of the digital age, it's easy to type a poem on a phone, but actually to type it on a typewriter feels more intentional, and I think more meaningful."

If you wonder what exactly "QWERTY" means, Synder can explain.

"QWERTY is the first five letters in the top left, in the top row of the keyboard," she said.

QWERTYFEST MKE runs until Sunday with workshops, a vendor market, an open pic, and more. For more information, visit their website.