Fixer Fair er, Faire

No, there’s no such thing as a Fixer Faire.  But there should be. It’s an underserved market.  How many of you get to spend more time creating gigantic Tesla coils than repairing broken stuff around your house?  Exactly, some of us have to fix boring stuff around the house. We should have a place to show off our skills and get cash to buy more Tesla Coils.

Before I begin the franchise program and go national,  (Hey Maker Faire, can we get a little love in the Upper Midwest, too?)   I’ve put together a few exhibits for your approval:

Can’t we get a new one?:  This exciting seminar takes domestic budgeting to extreme levels with questions like "How did that break?", "They charge how much to walk in the door?", "If I fix it instead of buying a new one can I take the money we save and buy an IPhone?" and "Would you like a new IPhone or clothes for three boys?"

Will that explode?:  Audience members will be chosen at random to repair common household items. Judges will score the winners in three categories:  Problem Identification, Creative Cursing and Leftover parts count.  We’ll be giving away "Unplug it first" keychains and "Smell that?  Is that Gas?" t-shirts.

Plumber and the Geek:  This all-star challenge pits plumbers and Geeks against one another.  Can plumbers code an Arduino-based autopilot?  WIll a Geek’s soldering skills translate to 1/2" in copper pipe?

Major sponsors, feel free to leave your contact info in the comments.  I’ll sort them out after I fix the bathroom door.

So, if you feel like you spend more of your time fixing than making, take heart.  Your kids are watching you solve problems in their environment.  Fixing our dryer this summer meant they got to see an old-school clothesline in action until the new solenoid arrived.  They learn that when something breaks, you don’t always have to pay somebody else to fix it. Fixing is one path to making.

image:  sears.com

Update:  wow, there is a fix-it fair in Portland

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