Mini Maker Faire revels in the DIY
Old meets new at this event, a showcase for appreciating eccentric crafts and services
SAN JOSE >> It was a sparse, hot Mini Maker Faire at History Park on Sunday, but those who went were treated to an array of do-it-yourself demonstrations and products, many of which could be made on-site by eager hands and taken home.
About 60 makers signed up to do their thing, which can vary from ageold creations like a weaving loom to 3-D printing and teaching kids to code the start of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
“The first computers were used for weaving,” said Lise Dyckman of Black Sheep Hand Weavers, talking about the Jacquard loom and its origins in 1700s inventions. “That was way before punchcards, even before player pianos. There’s a definite connection between math and the fabric arts.”
An old-meets-new appreciation is at the heart of the fair, as is an interest in eccentricity. It’s one of many smaller versions of the big event that happens in San Mateo County in May.
Lynette Miles of San Jose brought
“Maybe they’ll find something they love to do — and if that’s something that they can make money doing as an adult, that’s even better.” — Lynette Miles of San Jose, who brought her children to the fair
her son and daughter to the fair, where Reuben, 6, took a particular shine to little remote controlled balls inspired by the BB-8 droid in the latest “Star Wars” movie.
“I heard about this and thought, ‘Let’s go explore some stuff!’” Miles said. “They might find something that they’re interested in, get exposed to new things. Maybe they’ll find something they love to do — and if that’s something that they can make money doing as an adult, that’s even better.”
While there were more than 60 exhibits on the roster, Alida Bray, president of History San Jose, said some of the makers canceled due to the heat and health concerns. Turnout for the third annual event was considerably lighter than last year, which Bray also attributed to the heat. Temperatures hung in the 90s.
“But the people who did come out, they’re having a good time,” she said.
Bray noted the ingenuity of exhibitor Tim Levine and JBOT, new this year. Levine had a bicycle that went nowhere and had nothing to do with robots — he attached a magnetic device to the rear spokes, which when it rotates past a point on the frame sends a signal to a computer that the tire is in motion. And that means his 9 and 11-yearold kids can watch Netflix or other entertainment.
“My kids don’t exercise enough, but they want screen time,” he said. “This way I get what I want, they can have what they want. I’m not forcing anyone to do anything.”
Heat didn’t deter Peter William Wagner of Davis, who showed up with a menagerie of bizarre pedalpowered contraptions. It was the first appearance of the “Whym Cycles” at the event and the main attraction.
Riders of his offset-axle Ingo bikes and hand-pedal tricycles bobbed and circled one another below the replica Electrical Light Tower, making for a scene out of a quirky children’s book.
“It’s Dr. Seuss, in steel and rubber,” Wagner said. “It’s an eccentric axle. Yes, there is a lot of eccentricity at the Maker Faire. We are all on the spectrum.”
And that, said the 64-year-old teacher with a wild white beard, is a beautiful thing.
“It’s good for everyone,” he said. “Without people who think different, we’d be living in caves and using rocks as tools.”