Like the Montclarion Facebook page for neighborhood news and conversation from Montclair and beyond.

OAKLAND — The eighth annual East Bay Mini Maker Faire attracted more than 180 makers and dozens of performers Sunday, who brought their fire, silk screening, air compressor cannons, paper airplanes, robots, hip-hop dance, glass blowing, homesteading and other creative do-it-yourself projects to the day-long festival at Park Day School and the city of Oakland’s Studio One Art Center.

The East Bay Mini Maker Faire is smaller than the 100,000-person, three-day flagship Maker Faire Bay Area held in May at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds. The Oakland event attracts more than 6,500 people of all ages and makers from around Northern California, according to Dara Tom, who handles media relations for the East Bay Mini Maker Faire.

Vera Leo of Oakland keeps coming back because of the variety of exhibitors and new makers. Leo has attended four East Bay Mini Maker Faires and this year jumped in as a maker — she performed Japanese drumming with her all-women group, Heiwa Taiko, whose members range in age from 53 to 83 years old, according to Tom.

The stage offered dance battles hosted by Turf Inc., allowing anyone to come on stage and show their hip-hop moves, or just enjoy the performances, while other makers showed off their solar vehicles, and sound-responsive LEDs; and anyone could get their hands on a soldering iron, shape alabaster by hand with sandpaper, or take a ride on a Frankentrike, Tom said.

Like the Piedmonter’s Facebook page for neighborhood news and conversation from Piedmont and beyond.

Several East Bay schools brought their projects, such as a chicken coop virtual reality environment, and a human-scale hamster wheel. Other youth hosted bubble experiments, built a BMX quarter pipe, showed competition robots, offered origami lessons, and shared a homemade race car simulator, Tom said. Adult makers offered lessons on quilting, ceramics, leather work, and ham radio operations.

What draws the depth and breadth of makers is the ability to “show and tell” their projects in an engaged and appreciative community context, said Sabrina Merlo, who produces the event.

“Maker Faire is awesome because makers are right there, next to their projects, and you can ask them anything. In many cases, you can even try your hand at some part of their making process,” Merlo said. “The makers’ passion and engagement is contagious,” she said. “Adults and kids alike leave inspired, even optimistic about the world and the impact one creative mind – and set of hands – can have.”