Sydney Turner creates a keyboard while Aunt Sandi (right) looks on. Photos 250 News

Prince George, B.C. – Kids old and young alike took advantage of a warm, sunny day Saturday to visit the first ever Mini Maker Faire in Prince George.

Held both inside the Two Rivers Art Gallery and out along the walkway surrounding the Civic Centre, the Faire featured displays of everything from the latest computer-generated gadgets and interactive robotics to handcrafted (by Taylor Sapergia in photo right) black powder long rifles dating back a couple of centuries.

There were booths featuring watercolour paintings, with artist Cliff Mann on hand painting new works as you looked on; one where you could learn to solder; another displaying beautiful garments that were made using the technique known as nuno felting; a topaz bead gallery; woodworks made and being made by members of the Prince George Woodturners’ Guild; a display of Sampson walking sticks; and a spot where you could fly a mini quadcopter.

Inside the Art Gallery were many more displays, paintings of “Nature Up Close”, a Tech Village with all sorts of amazing robotic displays, a spot labelled MaKey-MaKey where you could use playdough and wires to create things such as an electronic keyboard. As it was explained, a MaKay-Makey is an invention kit with which you turn objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. Pretty cool stuff.

And also on hand was the two-man group known as AudioBody, billed as a “family-friendly electronic comedy team”. Their act incorporates strobes, LED lights, juggling, music and several strange-looking musical inventions that they’ve come up with to earn the description “a modern day Smothers Brothers meets Blue Man group”. They put on two shows and how that one double or triple or quadruple-jointed, or whatever he was, guy managed to contort his body in the ways he did was nothing short of phenomenal.

It was the first Mini Maker Faire in northern B.C. and judging by the public’s reaction, and based on the out-of-the-ordinary, interesting displays that were featured, a return engagement next year would quite likely be welcomed.