I've been taking my rover Sawppy to various events, from small school science fairs to large exhibit hall of Southern California Linux Expo. One of these stops was the Downtown Los Angeles Mini Maker Faire. A Maker Faire is the right kind of environment to attract the right kind of crowd that is perfect for a motorized model of Mars rovers.

From the official Maker Faire website I learned that "Mini" in "Mini Maker Faire" is not necessarily a comment on the scale of an event. The "Mini" signifies a community event that is organized and held by local entities, like the Los Angeles Public Library in the case of DTLA Mini Maker Faire. Maker Media, who has the registered trademark and associated legal rights, allows such communities to call their events a Mini Maker Faire and share some infrastructure if certain guidelines are followed.

So what about events curated and produced by Maker Media? They are the Flagship Maker Faires. And the original one of them all is Maker Faire Bay Area held in San Mateo, California. When exhibit applications opened up, I was tempted but also intimidated about submitting Sawppy in an application. It is not just a Maker Faire, it is the Maker Faire! This intimidation kept me from submitting by the early deadline, but a few encouraging pushes (Thanks Jasmine! Thanks Emily! Thanks Glen!) got me past my psychological barrier to submit my application.

I was very excited when I received a notification telling me Sawppy had been accepted. It is amazing to see Sawppy listed on the event's "Meet the Makers" page. And I have my own Maker Sign that I will display on Sawppy during the event. I was intimidated before, but now I'm looking forward to the event!

Sawppy Sign MFBA19 69882