Five Questions
Five Questions with Tom Tongue: executive director of the Tech Valley Center of Gravity. The streets of Downtown Troy will become a speedway of sorts Saturday, hosting the first-ever Power Tool Drag Race to be held in the area.
Tongue will officiate the race, which is part of The Troy Mini Maker Faire, held in conjunction with The Enchanted City, a steampunk festival now in its third year. Both the faire and festival are free and open to the public.
1 ) What the heck is a Power Tool Drag Race?
Power Tool Drag Racing puts racing contraptions powered by ordinary handheld power tools in head-tohead competition to see who takes it, who reigns supreme.
2 ) Is this something that you just made up?
Power tool races are held all over the world, but the official history of Power Tool Drag Racing is apocryphal and filled with myths, legends, hyperbole and downright facts. Needless to say, it’s probably been around since the first power hand tools were available and some genius decided to zip-tie the trigger on a belt-sander and watch it tear across the floor to sounds of mad glee, terror and pure, unadulterated delight. But my introduction to the sport was last year at the World Maker Faire in New York.
3 ) Who can compete in the Power Tool Drag Race?
With a few hours, a sacrificial power tool and some thriftstore items, anyone can race their power tool drag racer, though individuals under the age of 18 will have to have a slightly more responsible adult assist in getting it set up. Anyone with an almost inappropriate love for crazy racing vehicles and electric mayhem is encouraged to join us. There is no cost to race, and the rules and details about the race are available on the Mini Maker Faire
website.
4 ) Do people ride on the racers?
No, the only thing riding on the racers is stuffed animals and other fantastical creations. Do you have something that you think might look awesome tearing down the track to the adulation of fans? Well, bring it down, and we’ll see if it can handle the track.
5 ) Will anything else be going on at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity on the day of the Power Tool Race? The race is part of the day-long Troy Mini Maker Faire, which will be held in the Tech Valley Center of Gravity makerspace and along the streets and sidewalks of Troy’s beautiful downtown. Part science fair, part county fair and part something entirely new, a Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.