We love to see how regional, community-organized Mini Maker Faires reflect the unique flavor of the local makers. This weekend, two of the Mini Maker Faires taking place are in Greenbrae, Calif., and Fort Wayne, Ind. Whether you’re on the West Coast or the Midwest, a celebration of all things maker-made will be in effect.
The Fort Wayne Mini Maker Faire, powered by TekVenture, takes place on both September 14 and 15 from 10a.m. to 6p.m. at the Headwaters Park East Lincoln Pavilion, and it’s shaping up to be action packed. There will be daily shows by Solution Action Sports on their custom-built ramps (pictured above). There will also be two sets of races: the Power Racing Series, where adults test their engineering prowess by racing around a track on modified electric toy cars, and The Race, “a drag race that pits motorized creations against obstacles of wood chips, water, sand and pea gravel in a two lane drag race format” (respectively pictured below). In addition, the Faire will feature all kinds of making from glassblowing to robotics and everything in between.
The Greenbrae Mini Maker Faire will showcase Marin County makers on Saturday, September 14, from 10a.m. to 3p.m. at the Bon Air Center. This Faire will also feature a wide variety of projects, most notably some really impressive projects from local Young Makers. Pictured below is The Viper, a Battlestar Galactica-themed full-motion flight simulator built into the fuselage of a Piper PA-28 plane, complete with 360° rotation on both the pitch and roll axes, as well as a fully immersive flying environment inside created using over 10 computers networked together. The Viper was built by five bright high school students with guidance from adult mentors.
Another notable young maker project that will be at the Faire is S’Nova Kayfetz’ Hovercraft. “Two battery powered handdrill-size blowers lift the hovercraft and S’Nova 3 inches off the ground on a cushion of air enclosed in plastic. A fan connected moves the 42 inch diameter hovercraft at walking speed as S’Nova sits on a seat operating the steering wheel.” Check out a video of it in action below and see it in person at the Greenbrae Mini Maker Faire this weekend!
There are also two other Mini Maker Faires going on this weekend: Calgary, Canada, and Portland, Ore. It’s a celebration! Want to know how to organize a Mini Maker Faire in your community? Look no further.
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