STEAM Fest returns as a bigger, bolder celebration in Kawartha Lakes

JAMIE STEEL Senior Lead of Community Relations, Ampere

KAWARTHA LAKES: Ampere invites people of all ages to join fellow community members for STEAM Fest, a free, family-focused celebration featuring live music, diverse food, a vendor market, and tons of art, science, engineering, and technology activities.

The second annual STEAM Fest promises to be a bigger, bolder celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). It will be held at Ampere’s Lindsay Makerspace and Skills Hub at 12 Peel Street, on August 22nd from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The free event is jam-packed with hands-on activities, experiments and challenges, live music, deliciously diverse food, cultural displays and exhibits, giveaways, and family-friendly fun.

For over a decade, Ampere (formerly the Pinnguaq Association) has partnered with rural, remote and Indigenous communities to provide access to science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) education and opportunities. Founded in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Ampere applies a Lifecycle approach to ensure it is supporting learners at every age and every stage of life. Ampere offers programming directly through Makerspaces in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Bathurst, New Brunswick, and in the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, and works directly with community partners, social organizations, governmental funders and educational institutions from coast to coast to coast.

Like last year, attendees will be able to explore cutting-edge technologies in Ampere’s Makerspace, but this year will also include a sustainable technology exhibition showcasing innovations changing the world around us. The event will also feature a makers market, where a diverse group of artisans and vendors will have products available for purchase.

“We’re thrilled to showcase our diverse community while diving into cutting-edge innovations like AI and clean tech,” said Caitlin Patterson, Chief Operations Officer for Ampere.

“STEAM Fest is all about connection and discovery. It’s a free, welcoming space designed for curious minds of all generations and backgrounds.”

At its heart, STEAM Fest is about bringing people together - to learn from one another and to celebrate the diverse, unique qualities which make Kawartha Lakes such an incredible place to live.

More information about STEAM Fest, including vendors, exhibitors and performers, is expected to be released in the coming weeks. Follow @kawarthalakesmakerspace on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news about the event, or visit amp.ca/steamfest for more information.

Ampere would like to acknowledge the support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation with funding provided by the Government of Canada.