I was there at the first Maker Fair - and at the last. It was a sad decline from an event that was something genuinely different - even dangerous.
In 2010, I was there to see and hear the incredibly LOUD Jet Ponies - a totally bonkers ride that was open to anyone over 18 who wanted to risk the ride:
They had a sign that said: “THIS RIDE CAN KILL YOU” in 12" high letters scrawled on what might have been a hunk of old plywood.
This same event had circus performers doing silks - over the pavement, no padding - and a great flea circus, and hot things that could hurt and heavy things that could fall and there were lots and lots of people doing stuff simply because they could.
It was - correctly - called “Burning Man for the Minivan Set” and that was not intended to be an insult. It was a refreshing departure from the societal safety cult and my family loved it.
By the last event, it had transformed almost totally into a hybrid flea market/tradeshow. There was a lot less “here, sit down, try this” and a lot more “we take Apple Pay” and hardly any “oh, be careful…that thing is on fire and moving pretty fast”
It was fun while it lasted, but in the end, I think it grew past what it was - a “movement” of people who wanted to do things, not just watch them happen - and in doing so, it became untethered from the ideas that made it great in the first place.
