Maker Faire Press Releases
FOR RELEASE:

For more information contact:
Mark Ballard, (212) 255-8455 ext. 225,
Shannon Gilliam, (713) 535-7213,
Henry Yau, (713) 535-7267,

Audition contact:
Sherry Huss, 415-902-2050,

Calling All Inventors:

Wits and creativity come into play during auditions Sunday, September 16, at The Children’s Museum of Houston

"Where does one start at Maker Faire? As far as the eye can see, there's cool, crazy things going on, and there's just no way one person could experience it all in an entire weekend, let alone one day."-- Daniel Terdiman, CNET

Sebastopol, CA (September 6, 2007)--This past May, a jaw-dropping 45,000 people gathered at the San Mateo Fairgrounds in California for an event some called, "The Woodstock for inventors." A one-of-a-kind event for tech geeks, crafty hipsters, DIY lovers, and basically, anyone who builds anything--from 7 year-olds to 70 year olds--Maker Faire brought together people from over 10 different countries and 36 different states. This fall, the award-winning Maker Faire is coming to Austin, Texas--October 20 & 21 at the Travis County Fairgrounds.

In preparation for the Texas event, a team from Make magazine, which conceived of and sponsors the Faire, will be on-hand at the Children’s Museum of Houston, Sunday, September 16, to preview potential crafters and inventors who are interested in exhibiting in the October Faire in Austin. Scheduling 15-minute "auditions," the team will offer input and expertise to would-be competitors.

"We’re looking for anyone who has something fun to share, something they’ve made with their hands," explains Dale Dougherty, Publisher & Editor of Make magazine. "It can be practical or impractical--it could be something simple like a creative Halloween costume or maybe some handmade jewelry. Or it could be something wild like a bike with ten wheels, or a dog-powered lawn mower. Whatever it is, the more creative and imaginative, the better!"

Simultaneously, at the Museum’s Invention Convention exhibit, which closes September 30, will be in full swing offering kids the opportunity to experiment with gadgets and gizmos and become inventors using their creativity and imagination. They will have the opportunity to work on projects, such as building a jitterbug, designing rubber band powered cars, or assembling burglar alarms.

• When: Sunday, September 16 (1 p.m. – 5 p.m.)
• Where: Children’s Museum of Houston, 1500 Binz, Houston, Texas 77004, 713-522-1138. Directions to the museum.
• Cost: Free with general Museum admission; $5 per person; $4 seniors 65+; children under 2 and Museum members receive free admission
• Audition contact: Sherry Huss, , 415-902-2050

About The Children’s Museum of Houston
The Children’s Museum of Houston is rated one of the top two Children's Museums in the country by Child magazine and No. 1 by a survey of top youth museums on MSN.com’s CitySearch. Serving more than 750,000 people annually, the Children's Museum of Houston is the highest-attended youth museum in the country for its size. The Museum is dedicated to its mission of transforming communities through innovative, child-centered learning and offers 14 galleries of hands-on exhibits and innovative English and Spanish learning programs for kids ages birth to 12 years. The Museum is located at 1500 Binz in the Houston Museum District.

About O’Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.