The Orlando Maker Faire was held at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on October 21st and 22nd.
Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating,
curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do.
From engineers to artists, to scientists and crafters, Maker Faire is a
venue for these “makers” to show hobbies, experiments, and projects. It is called the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth – a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness. It is a chance to glimpse the future and get inspired.
Pam, her sister, Jen, and I parked in the Fairgrounds field and walked towards the Faire. To our left was the weekly flea market. Right before entering the Maker Faire, there was a drone obstacle course. It looked like a fun racing opportunity, but not a very sketchable one.
Susan Haugen helped us make all the arrangements to get wrist bands and we were ushered into the main building. She was very generous getting us acquainted with the event. A robot war was in progress behind clear Plexiglas barricades. The crowd was pressed tight around the ring. The metal crunching against metal was loud and ominous. Between shoulders, I could see a low-lying robot whose only limb was a bulldozer shovel. That shovel kept pounding down on the helpless competition. I couldn’t watch. I desperately wanted to sketch robots but the crowd was chanting for blood and it was probably close to the end of the violent competition.
We wandered into the next room where all the steam punk, props, and cosplay were to be found. In the far corner was a row of R2D2s. Occasionally one would wander off and interact with the crowd. A steam punk R2D2 started dancing with a Senate Commander Trooper. Blonde flowing hair poked out from the trooper’s uniform. At the end of the dance routine, the droid tipped his top hat. Such a polite droid. Behind me was the menacing Dalek from Dr. Who. He shouted in his metallic voice, “You will be exterminated!” He would cross over into the Star Wars universe where he then declared, “I am not the droid you are looking for.”