Maker Faires are a family friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness that are becoming widely popular across the U.S. and Flathead Valley Community College is hosting the state’s first official event next month.
The Kalispell Mini Maker Faire is scheduled for Feb. 22 at Flathead Valley Community College. The event is sponsored by FVCC and ImagineIF Libraries.
Part science fair, part county fair and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists and students. All of these makers come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and share what they have learned through interactive exhibits, hands-on demonstrations and informative presentations.
Kalispell Mini Maker Faire has extended the application deadline for makers who would like to exhibit their work at the event. The application form is online and must be submitted electronically by 5 p.m. on Jan. 28. There is no charge to be an exhibitor. Preference will be given to makers who can demonstrate a unique skill or craft, show a finished piece of work and explain it, and/or teach a skill and lead a hands-on activity.
The original Maker Faire event was held in San Mateo, Calif., in 2005. Seven years later, the San Mateo Maker Faire featured more than 800 makers with nearly 110,000 people in attendance. The World Maker Faire in New York has grown in three years to more than 500 makers with 55,000 attendees. Community-driven Mini Maker Faires are now being produced around the world, Kalispell Mini Maker Faire is independently organized and operated under license from Maker Media, Inc.
For more information about the Kalispell Mini Maker Faire, visit here or contact FVCC Entrepreneurship Coordinator Jill Seigmund at (406) 756-3834.