The Oddities & Curiosities Expo Promises to Bring Pittsburghers "All Things Weird"
By Olivia Miller
Does the promise of preserved animal skulls make your ears perk up? What about taxidermied, posed mice? Demonic stuffed animals? Rings made with real human teeth? If you answered yes to any of the above, you’re in for a treat when the Oddities and Curiosities Expo comes to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on August 26th.
Originally started in Oklahoma by Michelle and Tony Cozzaglio in 2017, the Oddities and Curiosities Expo has grown into a national and international spectacle with 30 stops in the United States and 3 in Australia in its 6th year.
The expo was started as a way to promote small businesses that offer niche goods and connect them with an equally niche audience. It is also meant as an outlet for guests to be their most authentic selves and indulge in their most unconventional hobbies. In a 2023 interview, Michelle Cozzaglio called the event “ A place where anyone can come and be themselves unapologetically and be surrounded by a community of like-minded people.”
Along with unique goods, the expo also features eerie art, gothically spooky clothes and jewelry, as well as food and drink stands. The vendors are different at every show, but the spread of eclectic goods is sure to appeal to everyone’s inner eccentric. There is also a stage with regular shows with performers doing circus-esque acts like swallowing swords and walking on glass.
If watching others perform isn’t your fancy and you want to be right up in the action, consider enrolling in one of the Expo’s taxidermy classes. For $225 per person, Pittsburghers can spend the day preserving their own rabbit. The class is for taxidermists of all levels and the price includes all supplies as well as decorations to make their creation their own. The workshop is held by professional taxidermist Heather Clark from the Florida-based taxidermy company The Sleeping Sirens. The only limitation for this class is that all participants must be over 18 years of age, or 16 with parental consent.
The expo also features a special exhibit called “The Cryptic Collection of a Mad Clown.” The event’s website encourages visitors to let the exhibit take them to another place, one where they stumble upon an old, abandoned circus tent where a curious clown collected eclectic goods after being banned from performing. The collection is composed of everything from a seven-legged lamb to a real mermaid to a six-foot man eating chicken. Because of its creepiness, it may not be suitable for younger children or anyone with a weak stomach. Tickets for this exhibit are only $5 when combined with expo admission or $7 at the door.
Tickets for the expo are $10 when purchased through Eventbrite or $15 at the door of the convention. Mark your calendars for August 26th from 10am - 6pm and prepare to throw all societal norms out the window and unleash your inner nonconformist.
