Mountain View Residents Show Off Their Creations at This Weekend's Maker Faire

If Silicon Valley and the county fair had a love child, it would be Maker Faire--the place where do-it-yourselfers and innovators gather together to share, teach, learn and encourage other DIY-ers.

“Instead of pigs and pies, people are bringing rockets and robots,” says Sherry Huss, director of Maker Faire.

Mountain View is well represented in this year's Maker Faire, with four of our own registered to display and demonstrate their inventions.

Tony Hoffman and Randall Kirschman of "Retro Electro" will be displaying their vintage and contemporary electronic and electrical parts and projects. Hoffman and Kirschman have been making electrical and electronic parts since their school days. Now, their cherished pasttime has earned them recognition in several hobby magazines.

If fashion is your game, check out Mountain View's own Ringit Gurlich, who will be taking a break from her busy Etsy.com shop to display her handmade leather bags, pouches and accessories at Maker Faire.

If you're a science geek who cares about the environment, then you'll definitely want to carve out some time to stop by the booth of BioCurious. This Mountain View-based group calls themselves a "hackerspace for biotech," where people are invited to brainstorm and share ideas on how to change the world through science. BioCurious hosts classes where enthusiasts can learn new skills, or how to apply existing skills to new research in the field of biotechnology.

Sure to be a popular booth, Jerrold Karmin of J.Karmin Projects will display his solar-powered vehicles and equipment.

Launched five years ago on Earth Day by the founders of the quarterly MAKE magazine, Tim O’Reilly and Dale Dougherty, Maker Faire is the world’s largest DIY festival.

To appeal to a community broader than engineers and other techies, the first Maker Faire organizers invited Bazaar Bizarre, a group of 70-80 crafters. In addition to arts and crafts, the festival includes science, technology, sustainable living, and now, there is even a Young Makers showcase.

The festival includes hands-on lessons where one can learn how to solder, sew, or even pick a lock, Huss says.

The event has evolved over the years and exemplifies the "three-Rs" concept--reduce, reuse, and recycle.

“It’s going back to values that we as a culture had before the rise in consumerism, similar to the Slow Food movement. It means buying local, fixing and repairing, as opposed to throwing away,” Huss says.

It’s an inclusive—not exclusive--hands-on festival that embodies “the open source value,” Huss says.

“Makers come and give their time. They’re not paid to be there,” she says.

The Maker Faire will take place at the San Mateo Event Center, 2495 S. Delaware St. in San Mateo. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. this Saturday the 21st, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Sunday the 22nd. Tickets are free for age 3 and under, and range from $10-25 for all others. For more information, visit http://makerfaire.com.