Life is built on creation and innovation. Making something out of nothing, or something out of a bunch of other somethings, is the foundation for most great inventions and discoveries over human history. The city's first Mini Maker Faire is designed to showcase that do-it-yourself and why-not? and can-do spirit.
Cities all over the world are signed on to the Maker Faire movement. Prince George joined in a concerted way last year when the Two Rivers Gallery established a MakerLab - a studio space with staff and materials where builders, crafters and inventors could come and play - and now the presence explodes with this weekend's Mini Maker Faire festival.
"Planning it has been exciting the whole way around, but I'd say the best part for me was talking with all the different makers and learning about what they do," said Kathleen Angelski, coordinator of MakerLab and the chief organizer of the Mini Maker Faire. "Discovering these people has been really exciting and I can't wait to see what everyone shows up with."
When the idea of the festival was first uttered, the hope was to gather about 50 creative builders of different kinds to the event, all showing off their talents and wares for the public. That amount was easily eclipsed. Angelski said so many different and varied people came forward that organizers had to arrange them into categories like Lego Land, Tech Village, Artisan Alley and Handcraft Hall.
"This kind of event is great for the public but I think it's also great for the makers," Angelski said. "It starts those conversations and hopefully builds connections. It is meant to be fun, a real celebration of what people are making, so we hope that carries on past the Mini Maker Faire and lives on in the MakerLab nights we run every Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. Those are really growing. Our laser cutter is up and running, we always have at least one and often many 3D printers here, all kinds of tools are available and all kinds of people come out who are willing to work on projects in that open setting."
The oldest one coming out to the Mini Maker Faire as a participant is 90 years old, the youngest is seven. Youth is so heavily involved they have their own featured area.
The stuff on display will be everything from Lego scenes by the Adult Lego Alliance to a replica living room where Top Drawer Yarn will have drop-in knitting to a weaving area overseen by the Huble Homestead Historic Site staff, to kite making by the CNC international students, paper rocket demonstrations by the Two Rivers Gallery, some hands-on flight training for miniature quad-copters, as well as a worldwide Maker Faire feature: a soldering station for kids and kids at art. Participants pay $5 and are instructed in how to solder together their own light-up flashy pins.
"Some people will be selling things, so bring cash, but that's not the main focus of the event," Angelski said. "The main goal is show-and-tell, to start those conversations between people, and have a learning experience. We want people to understand how much impact they can have in their own homes, with the things they might already be doing as a hobby. Making things is a valuable contribution to a society, whether it is high-tech, low-tech, traditional crafts, new-age arts, anything at all."
There is a deliberate sense of play wafting over the Mini Maker Faire event. While the subject matter deep underneath it is about striving for inventions, business, commerce, industry, the economy, and life-altering discovery, the global movement is catching fire because it is packed into a ball of fun.
The local fun has a schedule of entertainers and audience engagement. At the top of the list are some international maker-performance superstars. The guys from AudioBody are coming to P.G. to perform live at the Mini Maker Faire.
Their inventive musical comedy has been called a combination of techno Smothers Brothers and electro Blue Man Group. AudioBody has appeared on David Letterman, America's Got Talent, Inside Edition and many more high-profile settings.
"We are extremely lucky to get this amazing show, here in Prince George," said Angelski. "They were in Grand Rapids, Michigan, performing at a university there, which for them was halfway here, so they wanted to come see a place they had never been before. They've done other Maker Faires in the world, so they were excited to come see ours."
AudioBody will perform a morning show and an afternoon show, rain or shine, and be available in between for the public to ask questions about the strange and ingenious clothing and props they use to make music and fun.
Other performers on the Mini Maker Faire mainstage include Raghu Lokanathan, librarians with story time, a Vector Fitness presentation, and the Prince George Drumming Pool. The first show is 10 a.m. and AudioBody's final hour is 2 to 3 p.m. to close the event.
The festival of all things resourceful and handmade happens Saturday at the Two Rivers Gallery and PG Public Library downtown. Most features, including the shows by AudioBody, are free of charge.
