BY TJ MOSENG, GUEST WRITER TO THE TIMES
ORLANDO – Maker Faire Orlando is a community-organized, family-friendly celebration featuring local do-it-yourself science, art, rockets, robots, crafts, technology, music, hands-on-activities, and more. It’s an event they call the Greatest Show (& Tell) On Earth where people show what they are making and share what they are learning at the Central Florida Expo Center & Fairgrounds. Get tickets at www.makerfaireorlando.com for November 9-10, 2024. They’re on sale HALF OFF through Labor Day – so hurry – with early bird tickets, just over $16 gets your two-day ticket.
Last year my kids and I had a booth at Maker Faire Orlando called Food Scrap Mechanics. It was our first year having a booth and it was a big learning experience about what will interest people! I was happy to bring my vermicomposting bin to show off our live worms, demonstrate how to peel broccoli, and be a miniature librarian of cookbooks. The Official Five Nights at Freddy’s Cookbook would have sold out if we had brought a giant stack. We’re still deciding whether to apply for booth space this year, but if you’ve ever thought about showing the world what you make, do it now – get your application in through August 31st.
Getting surprised by the crowd itself is part of the fun here, with droids rolling around and plenty of great costumes from science fiction. We got a special surprise when members of the 501st Legion (a worldwide Star Wars costuming organization) stopped for a photo with my son, Yorick, honoring his late Dad’s handmade Mandalorian helmet. His Dad also loved this prank pay phone…where else you can actually dial Jenny at 867-5309 or press a secret combo to hear a Wookiee?!
Some of our year-after-year Maker Faire Orlando favorites are: running in the giant wheel to make our own snow cones at Be The Hamster, watching live robot combat at Robot Ruckus, soldering our own light-up pins, folding origami dragons at Gateway to Japan, rearranging the wires to make lots of strange noises at VOID Modular, and painting our own ornaments at Flags by B and Mom. My favorite new find last year was the DigitalFiber.us booth with LED fabric (pictured). What will be yours? Get in on those half-price tickets before the end of the weekend! (Educators, check the website for how you can attend free!)
