'Something totally different': Over 10K people attend Oddities and Curiosities Expo

Inside the Manuel Lujan Jr. Exhibit Complex glimmered an array of wet specimens, mounted animal heads, vampire killing kits and black and white towels that read “Does this towel smell like chloroform?” with a picture of a skull inside of a rose.

Visitors over the weekend to the fairgrounds — some decked in gothic clothes and jewelry — looked at the eclectic displays as songs like AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” played loudly.

The two-day Oddities & Curiosities Expo in Albuquerque ended Sunday, but memories linger for fans like Wendy Neill.

Neill said she did not want to miss the expo.

“It’s not the usual cultural stuff,” she said. “It’s totally off the wall. It is something totally different.”

The event “stays under the umbrella of what the community considers oddities while staying away from the more controversial things like human specimens and serial killer memorabilia,” said Flocken’s Nekroparlor owner Jordan Flocken.

Event co-organizer Michelle Cozzaglio said the annual event brought in 10,000 people on Saturday. About 5,000 tickets were sold Sunday.

‘Greatest thing’

The Oddities and Curiosities Expo was successful for vendors like Price Jones who co-owns “Dead Man Hill,” based out of Sapulpa, Oklahoma.

One of the popular items at his Dead Man Hill booth was a vampire killing kit that included a Bible, mallet, holy water, rosary and candles.

Jones said it was a great weekend as he and his wife were able to cover trip expenses and more.

“The event, for us, is like the greatest thing that’s ever been invented,” he said.

‘Drive to preserve’

If people weren’t in the mood for vampires, they could go to Flocken’s Nekroparlor and look at wet specimens, which are samples of biological tissue that have been preserved with a fixative and then stored in a permanent liquid solution in a jar.

“I’m a biologist and chemist,” Jordan Flocken said. “I always loved nature and wildlife and I had this drive to preserve some aspect of the natural beauty of something after it passes away.”

Ozzy Storti said she likes seeing the specimens, especially of ocean animals like octopuses because they are not common in New Mexico.

Specimens and vampires were popular attractions, but so was Stephen Webb’s booth that was filled with some of his bronze sculpture work.

One piece that captured gazes was “Tyrant King,” a miniature display of a cast bronze statue of a T-Rex.

Webb said he did everything from start to finish on it, “from the sculpting to the metal melting to every little detail.”

Neill said she was impressed by Webb’s work.

“I would buy it in a minute if I had the money,” she said.

After Neill left the booth, Central New Mexico Community College student Cat Frechette came up to Webb and told him, “It’s so wonderful to find another nerd.”

Correction: Jordan Flocken is the owner of Flocken's Nekroparlor.