FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2015
CONTACTS:
Union Station Media Contact:
Michael Tritt
[email protected], 816.460.2278
5th Annual Maker Faire Kansas City Set to Deliver the Greatest Creativity Extravaganza in Midwest at Union Station June 27-28
New attractions for 2015 include Two Bit Circus, KC Film, and so much more
KANSAS CITY, MO – Saturday, June 27th and Sunday, June 28th the coolest inventions, innovators, exhibits, creators, tinkerers, robots, hobbyists, crafters, artists and young Makers in the Midwest will all gather at one location – Kansas City’s Union Station for Maker Faire 2015 – a two-day festival that is part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new!
“Maker Faire is called the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth for good reason,” George Guastello, president and CEO of Union Station Kansas City, said. “There is literally something for everyone and this is a milestone year for us as we’ve grown to become one of the largest Maker Faires in the world . . . a Featured Faire. Kansas City has fully embraced the Maker Movement and it’s a strong reflection of the energy our community has for creating, sharing and learning while having fun. Visitors to Maker Faire will have the chance to glimpse the future, get hands-on in the creation process and find inspiration to become Makers themselves. There’s nothing else like it and we’re expecting another record-breaking weekend!”
This family-friendly weekend celebration will include presentations, performances, demonstrations and hands-on opportunities from more than 350 Makers. In addition to expanding traditional topic areas for 2015, new areas of special interest will include Kansas City’s Food Circle, Script-to-Screen Film Making and a HUGE virtual welding exhibit.
Highlighting what’s new, Two Bit Circus will make their first visit to Maker Faire Kansas City and deliver their unique brand of interactive entertainment. Guests will become human foosball players, fly quadcopters through an obstacle course and build team-working skills as they compete in a game called Kings. And for visual drama and breathtaking excitement, Two Bit Circus will feature their wildly popular “Dunk Tank Flambé” that challenges expectations and focuses on the intersection of technology, imagination and spectacle.
Also new for 2015, KC Film + Media is bringing their full resources to engage guests into the fascinating “Script-to-Screen” experience. Guests will enjoy an entire floor at Union Station dedicated to the world of film, film-making with local Film Makers and Film-related trades.
Other featured attractions will include:
EXPANDED! Areas of music, food, craftsmanship and technology
Realistic Iron Man suits, R2D2s and Dr. Who designs
Power Wheels Racing
FIRST Robotics Exhibition
Low-riders Car Show and Competition
Community art project featuring interactive clay modeling with Red Star Studios
Kid Area featuring inflatables, Nerdy Derby, and young Makers and more!
Many of Kansas City’s favorite food trucks onsite
Kansas City’s most inventive Makers and Crafters
and SO MUCH MORE!
Last year, Union Station reported record attendance at Maker Faire, drawing nearly 16,000 visitors from 40 states.
The festival will run on Saturday, June 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, June 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To find out the latest schedule of special attractions and featured Makers, please visit www.makerfairekc.com.
Tickets for Maker Faire KC can be purchased at the Union Station Box Office or online now at www.boxoffice.unionstation.org. Adult admission prices are $14 per day or $22 for a weekend pass. Prices for youth (3-12), members of the military and seniors (55+) are $11 a day or $17 for a weekend pass. *Union Station Member tickets are $7 a day. During Maker Faire, all attractions at Union Station including Science City will be included with your admission. The only exception is Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibition which will remain a separate ticket.
Founding Sponsor – Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Goldsmith Sponsor – Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, and Silversmith Sponsors – JE Dunn, Uni-Guard Security and YELP – plus many others — make this fifth annual, two-day festival of fun and creativity possible.
*Not a Member but interested in becoming one to save money the entire year at Union Station? Visit www.unionstation.org/membership for details.
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About Union Station Kansas City, Inc.
Union Station Kansas City is a historical landmark and civic asset renovated and reopened to the public in 1999. The organization, driven by its mission of science, history education and entertainment, is home to Kansas City’s Science Center; the popular Model Railroad Experience; the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium; the Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre, H&R Block City Stage featuring live theater, and a selection of unique shops and restaurants. Union Station is also home to prominent area civic organizations and businesses and regularly hosts world-class traveling exhibitions and community events. Visit www.unionstation.org for details.
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 Make Faire event was held in San Mateo, CA, and in 2014 celebrated its ninth annual show with some 1100 makers and 130,000 people in attendance. World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in four years to 600+ makers and 80,000 attendees. Kansas City, Detroit, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Orlando, Silver Spring, Paris, Rome, Oslo, Trondheim, Tokyo, Newcastle (UK), and Shenzhen are the home of larger-scale “featured” Maker Faires and over 120-community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires are now being produced around the United States and the world.
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. Download a free issue here.
Besides the magazine and the faire, MAKE is:
a vital online stream of news and projects, blog.makezine.com;
a retail outlet for kits and books, the Maker Shed;
a steady stream of fun and instruction via our YouTube channel;
Make: Projects, a library of projects with step-by-step instructions;
a publisher of best-in-category titles via Make: Books, including introductions to electronics, Raspberry Pi, 3D printing, Arduino and more.
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