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The Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI) and a group of statewide partners will present the 2015 West Virginia Makes Festival, a celebration of ingenuity and creativity, on Oct. 2 at Heritage Farm Museum and Village in Huntington.

“Our festival celebrates makers,” said Charlotte Weber, RCBI Director & CEO. “It taps into the inventive community of entrepreneurs and innovators so they can interact with likeminded makers.”

RCBI is presenting the 2015 festival in partnership with Advantage Valley, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Education Alliance, City of Huntington, Heritage Farm Museum and Village, i-79 Development Council, Huntington Museum of Art, Marshall University, Superintendent of Cabell County Schools, the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, and the West Virginia Small Business Development Center.

2014 West Virginia Makes Event

Scheduled to coincide with national Manufacturing Day, RCBI’s annual celebration focuses on today’s manufacturing. By staging the 2015 festival at Heritage Farm, we can expose today’s makers to our Appalachian heritage when making was a necessity, Weber said.

The Oct. 2 event is open to everyone and will feature 3D Printing, special exhibits and attractions, local food vendors and tours. A Design Challenge at the festival will provide makers the opportunity to demonstrate their new ideas and skills, and will reward their creative inspirations. Hobbyists, inventors, enthusiasts, artists and students of all ages who enter the Design Challenge are eligible for one of five awards — including a $1,000 “Best of Show” grand prize.

More information, including registration details, is available at www.rcbi.org.