CMNH. Maker & Food Fest goes virtual on Aug. 29

DOVER - The New Hampshire Maker & Food Fest, organized and hosted everY year by the Children's Museum of New Hampshire, is going virtual for 2020.

The Fest, which has a new date of Saturday, Aug. 29, is a yearly gathering of creative and curious people attracting around 1,600 people to downtown Dover.

"One positive that has come from making the hard choice of converting this year's festival to a virtual one, is that we can now feature Makers from anywhere in the world, and audiences all over the world can tune in to be inspired," shared CMNH President, Jane Bard.

The Fest has a uniquely Children's Museum of New Hampshire spin to it this year. "Of course, we are a hands-on museum and our mission is to actively engage families in hands-on discovery, which is a little hard to accomplish through a virtual festival," shared Bard. "So to remedy that we are going to be offering 150 Maker Fest kits that people can reserve online in August for free on a first-come, first-served basis, and pick up at CMNH in Dover prior to the Aug. 29 Fest date. These kits will include at-home projects, hands-on activities, samples, and more provided by the Museum as well as by our participating Makers."

Organizers are gathering materials and content from their Makers throughout the summer, and applications to participate as a Maker are still open.

"It's totally free to participate as a Maker, and this year will be easier than ever," said Bard. "The virtual Fest will go live on Saturday, August 29, but all videos, tutorials, demonstrations, performances, etc will be available online for one week after for anyone to access and enjoy for free. This will be a great way for any small business owner, youth group, performer, hobbyist, etc, to promote what they do and help us inspire our next generation of innovators and creative thinkers."

The Children's Museum of New Hampshire would like to thank its 2020 NH Maker & Food Fest sponsors including Sprague, the Unique College Investing Plan managed by Fidelity Investments, Parenting NH, New Hampshire Magazine, NHPBS, Beswick Engineering, The Rowley Agency, QA Cafe, and Martel Plumbing and Heating. To learn more about the Fest or to apply to participate as a Maker, visit www.childrens-museum.org.

About the Children's Museum of New Hampshire

The not-for-profit Children's Museum of New Hampshire is located at 6 Washington Street in Dover and offers two levels of hands-on, interactive exhibits for children from newborn to middle school. Children can explore a wide range of subjects, from dinosaurs, music and aeronautics to world cultures, art and natural history. Normally open year-round (but currently closed due to COVID19), the Silver LEED-certified museum specializes in creating memorable family learning experiences and works closely with schools, social service agencies and educators. The museum also hosts a variety of live performances, workshops, classes and special events for families. For more information, please call the museum at (603) 742-2002 or visit www.childrens-museum.org