Union Station Hosts Second Annual Event June 23-24, 2012.
Union Station is gearing up for a big weekend festival for Maker Faire: Kansas City on June 23-24 — a weekend show-and-tell festival celebrating innovation, invention and creativity. Maker Faire: Kansas City features more than 270 makers showing off their creations and innovations in the areas of technology, electronics, pyrotechnics, engineering, art and craft making. Highlighting the things people make themselves, Maker Faire: Kansas City could very well be displaying the beginnings of the next great innovation in science, technology and engineering. And, it could spark some of Kansas City’s newest entrepreneurs.
“Maker Faire is a fun and inspiring event for families and individuals to see first-hand what others are making as hobbyists or for a career,” George Guastello, President and CEO of Union Station said. “Union Station hosts this event because it offers such a great opportunity to demonstrate the invention, innovation and creativity happening in our home community and region. As Kansas City’s civic center, Union Station hosts this event to provide great networking opportunities among Makers and those interested in what others are making. It also helps connect entrepreneurship and education so that students will see what skills they can develop and how they can use their own creativity to design inventions and products of the future. This event is sure to inspire making in all who attend.”
In addition to booth displays and exhibits, featured activities include Arc Attack (making music with Tesla coil energy), Extreme Sand Castle Building (hosted by Wonderscope), Power Wheels Racing, Roving Robots, Percy Peacock Art Car, Lego Building, Aerial Performance Art by Voler: Thieves of Flight, Demonstrations in the Science City Test Kitchen, 3D Printing for Kids, Learn to Solder, Crafters Village and much, much more.
This is the second year for a Maker Faire in Kansas City, and this year has doubled the number of makers from 130 in 2011 to 275+ makers this year. The variety of makers ranges from robotics, 3D printing and digital media projects, to crafters, food artisans, wood carvers, printmakers and a variety of classic and electric cars that will be on display.
Maker Faire: Kansas City is open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 23 and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 24. Early bird tickets are $10 for adults and available through June 21 online, and special ticket prices are offered for Union Station members ($5), youth and military ($7). After June 21, the price for an adult ticket will be $14, and $10 for youth and military tickets. An early bird price also is offered for four-ticket family packs: $30 for one day; and $50 for a family weekend pass. Tickets are available at www.makerfairekc.com or on unionstation.org. The full schedule of events, speakers and featured attractions for Maker Faire: Kansas City also is posted on www.makerfairekc.com.
About Maker Faire: Kansas City
Maker Faire: Kansas City is organized by Union Station of Kansas City, 30 W. Pershing Rd., KCMO 64108 in conjunction with MAKE Magazine and O’Reilly Media. Maker Faire is one component of a long-range plan to promote education in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Union Station will regularly convene educators, business leaders, not-for-profit organizations and students to share lessons and combine efforts among local groups to highlight STEM education. In addition, Union Station and Science City are preparing a year-round Young Makers Space to allow access to STEM education through special events and field trips focused on robot building, engineering, inventing and more. For more information on Maker Faire: Kansas City and its sponsors visit www.makerfairekc.com.
