The East Baton Rouge Parish Library will celebrate inventing and the do-it-yourself culture with its free Mini Maker Faire at the Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd, on Saturday.
The faire—in its third year—features demonstrations of products that are created and assembled by makers. The event celebrates arts, engineering, crafts and science projects.
“It’s kind of all about tinkering and DIY culture,” says Andrew Tadman, one of the event’s organizers.
Approximately 5,000 people attended last year’s event, Tadman says. More are expected this year.
The makers featured in the Mini Maker Faire are a mix of entrepreneurs and hobbyists who enjoy creating, Tadman says.
This year’s event will feature the Knock Knock Children’s Museum, Boeccure, the LSU Laptop Orchestra, Pizzazz Fabric Design, Electronic Arts of Baton Rouge, Big Brown Ceramics and more.
Jamie Hyneman, co-host of the Discovery Channel’s MythBusters TV series, also will give a one-hour presentation that’s scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. A discussion and answer session will follow. Hyneman also will have a meet-and-greet presentation.
According to a news release, the 2005 launch of MAKE magazine provided a catalyst for the tech-influenced DIY community and sparked the Maker Faire movement.
“As the movement has gathered increasing momentum, makers have created their own market ecosystem, developing new products and services,” a news release from the EBR Library says.
Tadman says the fairs are popping up globally and are giving creators, in some cases, an avenue to market and sell their inventions.
“It’s just so much easier to bring products to market now. You can have a booth like this or you can sell on the internet,” he says.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Mini Maker Faire is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. inside and outside the Main Library at Goodwood.
—Alexandria Burris
