Exciting news for Makers in Austin, Texas: October 20-21, 2007 has been declared "Maker's Weekend" by Austin's Mayor Will Wynn.

And the weekend is rightfully named, as MAKE will be invading the Travis County Expo Center and taking over with their catapults, explosions, life-sized mouse traps, and more.

As Mayor Wynn said in a recent press release,

Austin is such a creative, vibrant town, and Maker Faire fits right in to our vibe and spirit...America has such a thirst right now for creative self-expression. We also have an incredible need for out-of-the-box innovation. Maker Faire embodies the best of both of these worlds, and in a way that's smart and fun. Therefore, we couldn't be happier to welcome Maker Faire to Austin and to declare Oct. 20-21, 'Maker's Weekend.

There are many special attractions taking place over these two days. A few of these attractions include

• Meet George Hotz, the Rochester Institute of Technology student who published his iPhone hack that enabled the device to work with carriers other than AT&T
  
• Daily Maker Faire Parade in the Maker Midway led by Austin Cycle Circus at noon each day
  
• The EepyBird.com Diet Coke & Mentos Fountain Show (4 p.m. daily on the outdoor EepyBird Stage)

  
  
  

• Life-Sized Mouse Trap with hourly performances daily
  
• Cyclecide Pedal Powered Amusement rides-scheduled all day, everyday
  
• 999 Eyes Freak Show and THAT Damned Band (daily side shows at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30 and 1:30 with a main stage show at 3:30 on the 999 Eyes Stage)
  
• Swap-O-Rama-Rama Fashion Show (5 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a special Robot Fashion Show with designs by Brooks Coleman)
  
• An interactive Art Car Build with Harrod Blank that is a HEYA project made possible by Toyota
  
• Rocket making and launches (thanks to the folks at Estes-Cox) and The King of Fling Catapult Contest in the outdoor Make LaunchPad area
  
  
  
  
• Wonderful Maker activities in Building B (The Show Barn); including Fire Arts, Make Pumpkin Play Day, Swap-O-Rama-Rama, Craft Corral, The ShopBot Fabrication area, Austin Children's Museum, Alternative Energy Car Conversions (calcars.org), Electric Vehicles (AustinEV), The Geek Group, Biketown, and more
  
• The editors of MAKE and CRAFT Magazines will be on hand, as well as several featured contributors. The latest Maker items, including kits, books, magazines and Maker wear, along with book signings, demonstrations and activities will take place every day in Building C (MAKE and CRAFT Labs and the Maker Store). The schedule of author signings and activities will be available on the Maker Faire website, in the Maker Faire Program Guide and onsite

Make sure to keep an eye on the Maker Faire website for updates previous to the event.