On Saturday, September 28 my family and I traveled out to the 6th Annual Buffalo Mini Maker Faire (BMMF) at The Park School of Buffalo. After many years of attending Maker Faire NYC, we decided it was time to get out and see other Faires and broaden our horizons.
So we hit the road from Blairstown, NJ at around 4:30 am, grabbed coffee at Dunkin, and headed North. It was a nice road trip, with lots of pretty views and little traffic. We arrived at the school at 10 am and registered. The process was smooth and we were on our way to our spot in minutes.
BMMF had a great volunteer staff on site. We had help unloading and setting up. our booth, which was awesome. Students from the Park School made sure we had water and checked in to see if we needed anything. They even provided a free lunch for all the makers! The whole experience made us feel very welcomed.
We had fun creating color-changing silk-screen postcards with visitors all day. We also featured other activities from “The Big Book of Maker Camp Projects”. Our of the most popular were our NeoTrellis Nature Sound Board, micro:bit Smack a S’more game, Circuit Playground Express Friendship Bracelets, and our Scratch Robot Drummer game made interactive with a Makey Makey, and, of course, our secret code marshmallows. We also had out samples of modified Nerf guns, 3D printed cookie cutters, light-up sunglasses, and more.
There were, of course, many other amazing makers at the faire. My daughter Caitie particularly loved the fire art by Töad Meädow Arts Collective. She’s already thinking up ways to use atomizer pumps to use various salts to make color-changing flames. My daughter Gwen was enthralled by Fractal Burning, which used chemistry and electricity to burn delicate fractal art into wood. She also loved The Slime Sisters, two young ladies that taught kids to make, well, slime.
There were many other great exhibits with traditional maker faire items like a learn to solder station, CNC creations, 3D printed items, robotics (shout out to The Electric Mayhem), drones, RC, PVC marshmallow guns, and more. But there were also amazing jewelry creations, balloon artistry, great cosplay, an inflatable dinosaur race, a human powder sno cone maker, dinosaur chalk art, half-size model of the Apollo Lunar Lander, and a puppetry podcast.
Sadly it started to rain at the end of the day making breakdown a bit damp. But that’s ok. We found a nice Irish pub, Loughran’s, nearby to have a great dinner. Then we headed to the hotel where we could finally rest.
The next day we decided to visit Niagra Falls since it was just a short drive from Buffalo. Though my husband had visited many years ago, my girls and I had never seen it, so it seemed like the perfect adventure before the long drive home.
I am so glad we took the time to explore Niagara Falls State Park! The weather was perfect and the crowds were minimal on a Sunday in Fall. The Falls were absolutely spectacular and we had a wonderful time exploring as a family. We’re already planning a trip back to camp nearby and head over to Canada as well.
So after saying goodbye to my man, Tesla, (who proved that he could transmit electricity from Niagara Falls to Buffalo, New York, using his new alternating current (AC) induction motor in 1896), we headed home to New Jersey. It was a long, long weekend, but such a fun adventure!
