A game of Plan Bee in action. Cursor focused on a Unicorn Bee, who has a rainbox hex.

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Tyler, Hunter, and I were a team for Ludum Dare 38 the weekend of April 21st, and we streamed the whole thing. We made a silly game about bees! You can play it here, and you can view the source here. Read More →

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Upcoming Events

Monthly Member Meeting: May 18, 7:30 pm

This month’s member meeting will occur at 7:30pm sharp! The meetings are a great way to keep up with shop business, discuss upcoming events, and have your voice heard. Typical run time is 30-45min.

Pig Roast: June 24

Some of you may have noticed flyers for this year’s Pig Roast – big thanks to Tyler Crumpton for making those! Last year we had a huge turnout, and it looks like this year will be no different! Volunteers are a huge part of what makes the Pig Roast possible, so if you’re able, check out the wiki page and sign up! There are still a few spots available, as well as opportunities to bring side items and desserts.

 

Shop Talk

Textiles Expansion

Travis Crumpton and Jeff Cotten have been heading up an effort to enclose the area next to the fab lab and move the textiles area into it! This will greatly improve the ability of makers to produce textile items, as well as increase the amount of air-conditioned space present at the shop. The first work day scheduled was May 7, thanks to everybody who came out!

ML256 @ STA

Monday May 1, we held a fundraiser/trivia night at Straight to Ale’s Campus 805 location. This event will bring around $350 to the shop!! A huge thank you to everybody who turned out to (wo)man the table, donated items to sell/display, and drank beer!

Ludum Dare #38

Tyler, Hunter, and Jake were a team for the Ludum Dare #38 — a themed, tri-annual game jam — the weekend of April 21st. The theme this time was “Small World”, so they made a silly game about bees! You can play it here, and you can view the source here. If you’re interested in forming a team, keep an eye out for announcements about LD39, which will be held around August!

NACC Sewing Workshop

On April 8 the shop hosted a cloak-sewing workshop to benefit the Madison Children’s Theatre. Over the course of the day, 20 cloaks were sewn and donated to aid in their production of Harry Potter, as well as future productions involving cloaks. Thank you to everybody who came out, and thank you Scott for setting up this excellent event!

Projects in Progress

Jeff’s Bottle Tree

Jeff has been working on a bottle tree that is doubling as an opportunity to learn to weld! David Pemerton walked him through the basics of welding, and just last week he tacked on the final piece of the tree.  It’s now at his home, and he will soon be painting it, and then sinking it into the ground.

Safety Reminder!

When using any of the heavy or dangerous equipment at the shop, remain aware of your surroundings and the status of the tool. Ensure the tool is in good working order before use, and safely store it after use. Additionally, goggles, eye protection, gloves, aprons, and other PPE are available for use throughout the shop! Nobody wants to make a trip to the hospital on a night they had planned to get some cool stuff done 🙂

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Kinsey has been shop secretary for several years – so many of you may know him from his emails! In addition, you may have seen him woodworking or observed one of his many custom home improvement projects taking shape. Click through to learn more about Kinsey!

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May 1st will be Makers Local 256’s Brews to Benefit night at Straight to Ale. In short, this means that every pint (16 oz) sold between 3pm and 10pm (7 hours) that day will earn the shop one US dollar ($1 USD).

But wait… there’s more! We’ll be having a geek-culture-themed trivia night in the Straight to Ale Speakeasy at 6pm! Grab some friends and show off how massive your stores of minutiae are about fun stuff like the Silmarillion and Clone Wars! Compete for prizes! Get a drink and enjoy yourself! (Or all of the above, if you’re a real go-getter!)

Every pint sold at Straight to Ale between 3pm and 10pm that afternoon will support Makers Local 256, so even if you can’t make the trivia game, you can still swing by and help out!

Check out the Facebook event here.

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What you likely knew about the enthusiasts of makers local is that we drink a lot of soda.  What you may not have known is that we recycle every can of tasty beverage we slam down, but it’s not always taken to the local recycling center.  Some days are melt days.

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