On Monday, Sept. 1, the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines will host the city’s first Mini Maker Faire.
The event is an outlet for all members of the Des Moines community to showcase their creativity and ingenuity, and while Mini Maker Faires have taken place all over the world from Italy to Australia, this is the first year one will be hosted in Des Moines.
“The Maker Faire will bring together inventors and entrepreneurs and give them the opportunity to show what they are working on,” Judy Downs, the Science Center of Iowa’s special events and promotions manager, told SPN. “We hope to inspire kids and adults in the community.”
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By displaying inventions and projects of artists, tinkerers, inventors, entrepreneurs and other Des Moines creatives, the Mini Maker Faire produces an environment of learning and sharing that encourages people to embrace a new way of thinking.
Tickets for the event are available online and cost $11 for adults, $7 for kids and SCI members get in free. With purchase of a ticket, attendees get access to an assortment of exhibitors, including the Portrait Studio, Traveling TARDIS and CoderDojo, to name a few.
Other like-minded groups around Des Moines, like dmStartupDrinks, are seeing this faire as a way to make more connections with creative locals.
“I think this is a way to blend dmStartupDrinks to other aspects of the community, but also to engage with the community and learn from them as well,” Ben McDougal, the meetup’s organizer, told SPN.
dmStartupDrinks is a networking event for entrepreneurs held the last Thursday of the month. The group has collaborated with organizers of the Mini Maker Faire for a meetup on Thursday, Aug. 28 at the Science Center of Iowa. There will be free beer and plenty of networking for people interested in discussing entrepreneurship and innovation.
For those who are unable to attend but aspire to get involved, have no fear, organizers plan to host another maker faire in Des Moines next year.
Interested in presenting at the Mini Maker Faire? Registration is still open. Contact Judy Downs for more information.