March 6, 2025 – Drop into the Downtown Library on Wednesday, March 19, from 1-3 pm for the second annual Maker Fest. This open house will feature an afternoon of hands-on, family-friendly STEAM activities with both the library and community partners.
Staff will be on-hand in the Technology Classroom demonstrating the library's 3D printers and giving patrons a chance to try their hand at making their own 3D object with a Doodle Pen. Attendees will be able to make personalized buttons using the library’s button makers or visit the Maker Room to watch the library’s laser cutters create unique items out of wood, metal, and acrylic. Examples of what other creators have made will be on display in the library's Skywalk Gallery.
The library will also host a Fix-It Cafe. Handy library volunteers will give live demonstrations of how to patch drywall, put in a new electric box, and basic toilet repair. Patrons will be able to ask questions of people with years of home repair experience, get lists of materials and tools, and informational resources that will empower them in doing minor home repair.
“The Maker Fest is a fun way for families to see how the library and other community members are part of the STEAM movement in preparing our community for the future,” said Programming Librarian Jen Eilers.
Partners include:
Nerds in a Blanket – Prairie Robotics
The First Tech Challenge robotics team from Prairie High School is excited to promote STEM in the community through a variety of activities, including driving exploration with their competition season robot, coding and programming exploration with Makey Makeys, coloring sheets for young artists, and other exciting STEAM activities.
The McKinely STEAM Academy Robotics Team will also attend.
Collins Aerospace
Use electrical engineering principles to build a greeting card from scratch that lights up and can be taken home and given to a loved one. Older students will be given the opportunity to add a musical or voice component to their greeting card in addition to lights.
4H Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Have you ever wondered how your room light turns on, or how the fan starts spinning? So many of our household appliances are powered by electricity, which flows through pathways called circuits. Join Linn County 4-H to create a glowing LED light with a fun Squishy Circuit. This hands-on activity is perfect for parents and elementary school kids to explore basic electronics together. Using Playdough as a conductor, children can easily build simple circuits to power an LED light.
Johnson STEAM Academy
Join students from Johnson STEAM Academy to learn about and experiment with circuits. Learn how to build basic circuits and test objects to determine if they are conductors or insulators.
American Society of Civil Engineers Eastern Iowa Younger Member Group
Parents and students can take home STEM kits to learn about what a civil engineer does. With five different hands-on activities that can be done at each family’s own pace, these kits are geared towards elementary and middle school kids to help them explore different aspects of civil engineering.
Tanager Expressive Arts
Ever wondered what it’s like to paint donuts on the moon or be an underwater saxophonist? Join Tanager Expressive Arts for The Silly Dice Artist Chronicles! Kids roll a giant dice to discover their artist role – painter, dancer, photographer – and draw a prompt to inspire their persona. Then, they improvise answers to fun questions in a talk show setting, sharing their “wild” creative process and art stories. Participants can ask quirky questions, too, leading to laughs and imaginative moments as kids create their own artistic world.
Iowa Ceramics Center and Glass Studio
Watch the clay fly! Roger Bergen will be throwing some amazing pottery demonstrations all day – feel free to ask questions and learn about the process. Then the real fun starts at the "Spring Community Clay Creation Station," where participants will create a collaborative spring scene. Add your touch and watch the masterpiece grow! They will also hand out coupons for their upcoming multi-day Summer Camp Youth Program.
Iowa City Public Library
Create a beautiful butterfly to add to a collaborative art display using Iowa City Public Library’s Cricut Machine. Staff will be on-hand demoing the machines capabilities. Learn more about the Digital Media Lab’s open workspace with technology for editing photos, creating movies with transitions, credits, and soundtrack, digitizing VHS or cassette tapes, designing unique graphics, making quality sound recordings, and so much more.
Matthew 25
The Matthew 25 Tool Library will demonstrate how to create an account with the Tool Library and how to rent tools online and in their showroom. They will also discuss the various categories of volunteers at the Tool Library, as well as how to contribute.
The Maker Fest is generously supported by Curiosity Sponsor Sunrise Builders.