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somewhat proudly, “I’m not a welder.” But he is a maker, and no project is o -limits, too di cult or technical to attempt.
Last year, Ashby brought an inkle loom, which is designed to weave yards of narrow fabric, and a rope-making machine to the faire. The year before that, the rst year that Kalispell hosted a Mini Maker Faire, he brought a hand- ful of homemade instruments, including a cigar box guitar, a copper xylophone, triangles, and a rawhide drum.
“My kids were taking a music class, learning music theory,” Ashby said. “I thought, ‘Hey, I’ll make some musi- cal instruments.’ So I was on a musical instrument kick for a while.”
That’s how a maker looks at the world: Everything and anything can serve as the inspiration for the next project. At this year’s fair, Ashby plans to show o primitive re-starting techniques. That’s a nod to his membership in the Flathead Valley Muzzleloaders, a group celebrating the ingenuity of centuries past by re-creating their ancestors’ tools of survival and everyday life, often down to the littlest detail, like stitching cloth- ing with homespun thread and a bone needle.
“In the 1800s, instead of camping in Gore-Tex or Mountain Hardware, they had wool and canvas,” Ashby said. “They did that for thousands of years. We should be able to, too.”
The Maker Movement shares that streak of self-su ciency. One of its mot- tos is, as Ashby said, “If you can’t open it, you don’t own it. You can’t take your
iPhone apart, but you can take your car apart and x it.”
There’s a touch of anti-consumption, a make-it-yourself vibe, in the Maker ethos, too. As is true for the Muzzleload- ers, Makers want to be able to x things themselves, make things themselves, futz with things themselves. Within the Movement, there’s a sense of reconnec- tion with something that we’ve lost, as humans, now that factory robots assem- ble most everything we rely on. Still, there’s no larger social critique present: Makers make for the joy of it. And the Kalispell Mini Maker Faire is an occa- sion with family friendly fun at its heart.
Ashby says he has been “putting things together and taking things apart” since he was young, and hopes to instill that hands-on inquisitiveness of how things work in his own kids, as well as their peers. His favorite part of the Faire is demonstrating, showing children some- thing to be excited about and intrigued by. Last year, he helped youngsters make somewhere between 40 and 50 ropes, and let them all take some home.
“Hopefully some day they’ll see it, and be like, ‘Here’s that rope I made!’” Ashby said.
And maybe that’ll inspire them to make more things—physical things, cer- tainly, but they might also be inspired to make the next generation of self-de- scribed Flathead makers,
The Mini Makers Faire runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Flathead Valley Com- munity College, and admission is free.
clare@ atheadbeacon.com
THE MARQUEE
WHAT TO READ, SEE AND APPRECIATE
‘THE LITTLE PRINCE’ SHOWING AT O’SHAUGHNESSY CENTER
The White sh Theatre Company presents an enchanting adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s trea- sured book, “The Little Prince.” This magical young-actors produc- tion opens with a sneak preview Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center in White sh.
Performances continue on Feb. 26and27andMarch4and5at7:30 p.m. Matinee performances are on February 28 and March 6 at 4 p.m.
“The Little Prince” is a time-
less story of an unlikely friendship
between an Aviator who crashes in
the Sahara Desert and the innocent
yet wise Little Prince who has fallen from the sky. The Little Prince’s deceptively simple storytelling lls this imaginative tale with rich and timeless poetic wisdom and magical charm for audiences of all ages.
Tickets can be purchased at the Box O ce at 1 Central Avenue in White sh or by calling 862-5371 or online at www.white shtheatreco. org.
If you would like to be featured in the “Marquee,” email information to news@ atheadbeacon.com
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
TEE UP FOR 2016 &
SAVE $100 ON A REGULAR SEASON PASS!
Offer ends February 29th
GET YOUR $210 RANGE PASS!
sign up today,
www.montanagolf.com
GOLF COURSE: 752-4666 REAL ESTATE: 752-5666
500 Palmer Drive in Kalispell www.montanagolf.com
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
Quality Golf Course Living— Make Village Greens home!
Bigfork Community Players Present
Tickets are available at Bigfork Drug, the Kalispell Grand Hotel, the Pocketstone Cafe, bigforkcommunityplayers.com, and at the door.
FEBRUARY 24, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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