Museum of Idaho flying in Wonder Woman’s Invisible Plane for 2019 Maker Faire

Is there enough space to land a jet in front of the Museum of Idaho? On June 22, east Idaho residents will have a chance to find out.

The museum is flying in Wonder Woman’s Invisible Plane as part of the Idaho Falls Maker Faire 2019. Sponsored by the Idaho Stem Action Center, The Maker Faire is a family-friendly celebration of creativity, science and engineering. The Faire takes place on the Museum of Idaho’s front patio and features interactive booths and activities exhibiting the work of local “makers.”

“It’s billed as ‘the World’s biggest show-and-tell’,” MOI spokesperson Deborah Chessey told East Idaho News.com. “People get together and show off what they make and the idea is that they can teach people how to recycle, reuse and take things and make something beautiful or unique out of them.”

Maker Faire began in 2006 in the San Francisco Bay Area as way for venue for tech nuts, inventors, artists and other creative types to show off their wares. The Faire has since spread across the country and all over the world. From the flagship shows in San Francisco and New York to shows of varying sizes in cities like Tokyo, Paris and Milwaukee.

“Ours is a Mini Maker Faire,” Chessey said. “We currently have fifteen booths and there are going to be a lot of things to do.”

Attraction at this year’s Faire will include a robotics team, a 3D printing and tabletop gaming exhibition and a 3D forensic facial reconstruction demonstration. Many of the Faire’s exhibits will feature fun interactive elements for the whole family and projects that visitors can take home with them.

“The Maker Faire is free,” said Chessey. “Anyone who wants to can come enjoy the Faire and we’ll also have special-priced admission for the museum. So if you would like to come in and see ‘Archimedes: Science and Innovation’, you can come in for a special price.”

And, of course, the Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet will make an “appearance.”

The jet will land the night before the Faire under the cover of darkness and will depart after nightfall the next evening. The jet is silent, so it shouldn’t disturb Idaho Falls residents when it flies in. It’s also so jammed full of advanced technology that an accompanying team of engineers will be on hand to explain the tech to the public.

Chessey said the Museum of Idaho had to contact the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington to initiate the process to bring the Invisible Plane to Idaho Falls. She also said the process of getting the jet here was complex.

“There were a lot of hoops we had to jump through to get the plane here,” she said. “There were special precautions we did to assure them that our security is good and that we have enough space. And that we are not going to be using it for any, you know, nefarious purposes.”

The purpose of the Maker Faire is hardly nefarious. It’s an event aimed at inspiring people who may want to do science or engineering as a career and to fan the flames of creativity within Faire attendees.

“A Maker Faire kind of breaks things down to a level where you can see how things are being made,” Chessey said. “It’s very much S.T.E.M.-based – Science Technology Engineering and Math – and the idea is to ignite people’s imaginations and get them to create something. Make something.”

You can check out Wonder Woman’s Invisible Plane and the rest of Idaho Falls Maker Faire on June 22 from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Visit the Museum of Idaho website or the Idaho Falls Maker Faire site for more information.