A crowd enjoys watching the Life-Size Mousetrap, the classic board game miniature turned into life-size spectacle.
DEARBORN — Rockets. A giant Etch-a-Sketch. A dog house that tweets. The Coke and Mentos guys.
These inventions and inventors are just a few of the attractions and Makers visitors will see at Maker Faire Detroit, July 31 to Aug. 1 at The Henry Ford. This two-day festival will showcase more than 260 Makers from all over the nation, who will bring their ingenuity and original thinking to Henry Ford Museum.
Both inside and outside the venue, visitors can see the famous Life-Size Mousetrap (just like the game); share the same space with the Great American Horn Machine, a mechanical device that pumps out notes from ship and train
air horns; see the Urban Crawler, a unique bicycle designed to transport food; or travel past the booth displaying a dog house that literally sends a Twitter message when a dog enters it.
Wearable art and fashionable finds also will be on display including unique pieces from the Makers from Wonderful Woolies and Painted Lady Trashions.
Ticket prices include admission to both Maker Faire and the museum. Two-day pass ticket prices are $44 for adults, $29 for youth, $40.50 for seniors, and children 4 and under are free. Members of The Henry Ford receive free admission to Henry Ford Museum and can purchase a two-day pass for $20. For more information call (313) 982-6001 or go to www.thehenryford.org/makerfaire.
A few examples of other Makers displaying their creations include:
• Sashimi Tabernacle Choir – Richard Carter – This award-winning art car from Houston has 250 electromechanical fish and lobsters, 300 pounds of batteries, 2 Linux computers to coordinate all the singers, and more than five miles of wire in the control system.
• Jumbo Etch-a-Sketch – Rick Chownyk – Visitors will be able to draw in scale on an 8-foot- by-10-foot Etch-a-Sketch.
• Handmade Detroit – Lish Dorset – A loose collective of people who like to make stuff, will be bringing Craft Faire to Maker Faire.
Maker Faire Detroit will feature demonstrations and hands-on workshops over the two days. Visitors can enjoy arts and crafts, science and engineering, robotics, sustainable living, music and fine arts, fun for kids and families and more.