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Date: 10/6/2023
HOLYOKE — Returning for its annual celebration of innovation, creativity and hands-on exploration is the Pioneer Valley Maker Faire, on Saturday Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Race Street in Holyoke.
The Pioneer Valley Maker Faire started in 2019 and is a vibrant gathering of curious minds, inventors, artists, scientist, crafters and makers of all kinds. Their mission is focused on sharing knowledge, showcasing hobbies and to inspire the community. Admission to the event is free and attendees of all ages are invited to experience the magic of invention and creativity.
“We’re thrilled to host the Pioneer Valley Maker Faire, bringing together our community to celebrate the incredible talents and creativity that reside right here in Holyoke and beyond,” said organizer of the maker faire Lissie Fein.
Pioneer Valley Maker Faire Organizer Andrew Pasquale spoke with Reminder Publishing, and said the hands-on opportunities within the faire provide for great learning experiences for the public attending. He added this will be the first event for the group since before the coronavirus pandemic.
“One thing that differentiates the Maker Faire from other kinds of creative type events is that there’s a real emphasis on hands on activities and workshops. People can come and sort of really get hands on experience on different things,” Pasquale said. “We have some things like learning how to needle felt, to learn how to build robots or learning how to write erasure poetry, so there’s really just a wide range of totally different things you’re looking at.”
Pasquale added he was most looking forward to the royal trumpets, an interactive exhibit of 16-foot-tall metal trumpets that can be interacted by a connected keyboard which plays music and “shoots flames outside the trumpet.”
Activities and hands-on workshops at Maker Faire include creative robotics, make your own zine, learn to needle felt, make your own jewelry, soapstone carving, erasure poetry lessons, shred recycled plastic, make injected molded key rings, get an introduction to laser cutting, experiment with engineering while creating artful mechanisms and much, much more.
The diverse range of artisans, roboticists, and entrepreneurs eager to share their craft with the public allows for an intersection of education on what is available through the faire, Pasquale said.
“That’s really the goal is just for people to come and sort of get exposed to different kinds of making and other makers and learn from each other on how to do different kinds of things,” Pasquale said.
The day also coincides with “A Day in the Yoke,” a citywide day of events in the city including Doors Open, the Great Holyoke Brick Race and the Paper City Food Festival. This year has extra meaning as the citywide event is also tied to the celebration of Holyoke’s 150th anniversary. Pasquale added organizers of the Maker Faire were excited to be a part of the “Day in the Yoke” celebration.
“I think it’s going to be a great day with so many different events happening. I’m just hoping people really get out and see what amazing things are happening in Holyoke through all the different events,” Pasquale said.
For more information including a full list of activities and exhibitors, visit the Pioneer Valley Maker Faire website at https://pioneervalley.makerfaire.com.
The Pioneer Valley Maker Faire is made possible by the generous sponsorship from the Fimbel Maker and Innovation Lab at Mount Holyoke College, Holyoke Art, National Grid, Sweet & Fizzy Digital and Terra Science and Education.