From ‘Transformers’ trucks to chainsaw carvings, the Fair returns to Discovery Place Science to show off Charlotte’s creative side

CHARLOTTE – The third annual Charlotte Mini Maker Faire is returning to Discovery Place Science on Saturday, October 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and fans should be prepared to be wow-ed!

Presented by Ingersoll Rand, the Charlotte Mini Maker faire is a local event created to inspire and showcase Charlotte’s creative community. This year’s event brings exhibitors, vendors, workshop teachers, speakers and performers from across the region including:

• The real Optimus Prime and Galvatron trucks used in the “Transformers” films from Daimler Trucks North America.
• Performances from the Carolina Panthers Drumline, PurrCussion.
• A virtual pit stop where guests can experience being in a real pit crew and change a race car tire using Ingersoll Rand power tools.
• Pilot race drones across a multilevel obstacle course with Charlotte FPV Racing League.
• Live demonstrations of giant chainsaw wood carvings by Wild Wood Carvings.
• And back by popular demand, Bot Hockey and combat robotics demos with Carolina Combat Robots.

These and 50 other exhibitors will be set up all throughout Levels 1 and 2 of the Museum, and outside on N Tryon St. Booths located on Tryon St are free to the community, and all other areas require an admission ticket. The Mini Maker Faire will go on rain or shine. For inclement weather, outdoor vendors will be moved indoors, space permitting.

All Charlotte Mini Maker Faire events, workshops and activities are included with Discovery Place Science admission: $17 for adults (ages 14-59), $13 for children (ages 2-13), $15 for Seniors (ages 60+) plus any applicable sales and use taxes. Admission is free for children younger than age 2 and Discovery Place Science Members. Tickets purchased online will receive $1 off admission. Online ticket sales end Friday at 11:59 p.m. Parking is not included with Museum admission. Tickets are now on sale at cltmakerfaire.org. Advance purchase is recommended.

For more information, visit cltmakerfaire.org or join Charlotte’s online Maker community on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter at @CLTMakerFaire. Check out all the fun at #CLTMakerFaire.

Charlotte Mini Maker Faire is independently organized and operated by Discovery Place under license from Maker Media, Inc. For more information about Discovery Place, visit discoveryplace.org.

About Discovery Place Science

Discovery Place Science provides ever-changing, entertaining facilities that engage people in the active exploration of science and nature. The Museum brings relevant, contemporary science to life through groundbreaking exhibitions, interactive educational programming and hands-on activities.

Discovery Place Science is located in uptown Charlotte at 301 N. Tryon Street. Convenient parking is available in the Museum’s parking deck — the Carol Grotnes Belk Complex — at the corner of Sixth and Church Streets. For more information about Discovery Place Science, call 704.372.6261, visit science.discoveryplace.org or connect with Discovery Place Science on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Discovery Place is a network of museums that includes Discovery Place Science in uptown Charlotte, Discovery Place Nature adjacent to Freedom Park and Discovery Place Kids, with locations in Huntersville and Rockingham. Discovery Place is supported, in part, with funding from the Arts & Science Council.

About Maker Faire

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.

Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers. They are of all ages and backgrounds. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow this community.

The original Maker Faire event was held in San Mateo, CA and in 2015 celebrated its tenth annual show with some 1100+ makers and 145,000 people in attendance. World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in four years to 600+ makers and 80,000 attendees. Detroit, Kansas City, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Orlando, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Silver Spring, Ottawa, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Newcastle, Hannover, Oslo, Trondheim, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and Shenzhen are the home of larger-scale, “featured” Maker Faires. In addition, over 120 community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires are now being produced around the United States and the world—including right here in Charlotte.

About MAKE Magazine

MAKE is the first magazine devoted entirely to Do-It-Yourself (DIY) technology projects. MAKE unites, inspires, informs, and entertains a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages. MAKE celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your will.

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