The ninth annual Piedmont Maker Faire took place on Sunday, drawing families to Piedmont High School to check out 80 STEAM-related projects from over 200 community members. Hands-on activities set up around the high school campus delighted, engaged, and educated young students and their parents.
Piedmont Makers President Dave Ragones said the event drew about 1,500 attendees. “We had so many fun hands-on making activities like River Raft Run, Air Rockets, and Nerdy Derby. We had fantastic music from the 8th grade Jazz Combo and our beat-boxing cellist Cello Joe,” Ragones said. “We had many enthusiastic student makers from Beach Elementary, Havens Elementary, Wildwood Elementary, Piedmont Middle School, and Piedmont High School showing off their projects. Thanks to all the students and community who came out to enjoy a very special day. Thank you to our Faire organizers Lara Oliver and Regina O’Connor and all the contributions of the Piedmont Makers board,” he said. “I came away inspired and hopefully many of the young makers did too.”
The entrance to the Piedmont Maker Faire 
Children watch as their boat creations float down the River Raft Run waterway 
Jesse Rea (in blue hat) use the controller to attempt to manipulate the robot to collect and shoot balls in the Highlander Robotics area 
Learning about FIRST LEGO League robotics 
Young and old create with colorful tiles 
A child tests out a PVC pipe marshmallow shooter 
Connor Khouri assists a customer at his robotic lemonade stand 
Kids and parents react to a high flying rocket launch 
Making chess moves 
Clio Khatri, a second grader at Wildwood, demonstrates how singing to her knitted mechanical flower makes the flower petals open and close 
Ms. Khris shows off a customized shoe by a Havens student made in her after-school class at the school 
Ava Gonzales watches as her friend Nora Venner creates spin art 
A couple dances to Joey Chang, aka Cello Joe