PHCC Hosting Exciting Events on May 2 & 3

Do you hope to start a business? Do you have ideas or inventions that you need to mold and create? Patrick Henry Community College will be hosting two events for entrepreneurs, innovators and creators to get inspired and turn their ideas into reality.

Student Entrepreneurship Jump Start Weekend 

The first Student Entrepreneurship Jump Start Weekend will be Friday, May 2 from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in uptown Martinsville.

Friday evening's session will begin at the Martinsville-Henry County Heritage Center and Museum and finish at The Artisan Center with dinner, a keynote speaker and panel of local entrepreneurs, as well as a tour of the Fab Lab. Saturday's session will take place at PHCC's uptown classroom on the first floor of Jefferson Plaza, next to the former location of the Daily Grind coffeehouse.

The two-day course is geared toward students at PHCC, the New College Institute, and other area colleges who are interested in turning a business idea into reality. A limited number of slots are available to local high school students. Kimberly Buck, coordinator of community development programs, said there are still spaces available.

The program is designed to give an introduction to the "nuts and bolts" of starting a business and connecting students with more resources to make it happen, according to Buck.

"Everyone has the potential to become an entrepreneur," Buck said. "We want to encourage people to think outside the box, even if entrepreneurship is not their field of study."

Pre-registration for Jump Start Weekend is required. Registration is $15, which includes dinner, breakfast, lunch and a ticket to a show at Rives Theatre. Participants should register by April 30 to attend. Payments can be brought to the Artisan Center, located in uptown Martinsville at 54 W. Church St.

Call (276) 656-0343 or email kbuck@patrickhenry.edu to register now. Also visit www.patrickhenry.edu/surveys/jumpstart to reserve your spot online.

Martinsville Mini Maker Faire 

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Fab Lab, located in the Artisan Center at 54 W. Church St., will host the first-ever Martinsville Mini Maker Faire. A variety of hands-on, educational activities, including woodturning and 3-D printing demonstrations, will be open to participants.

The Martinsville Mini Maker Faire is a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness. It's a place where people can show what they're making and share what they're learning.

Makers range from tech enthusiasts, to crafters, homesteaders, scientists or garage tinkerers of all ages and backgrounds. The faire's main goal is to entertain, inform, connect and grow the community.

Guests can design their own stickers, make their own Martinsville Mini Maker Faire t-shirts, children can learn how to solder, and they can even learn how to make slime.

Participants are welcome to keep whatever materials they create throughout the event.

Lloyd Cannaday, a computer-aided drafting and design (CADD) instructor at PHCC, will be on-hand to teach CADD classes. There also will be hands-on arts projects, cupcake decorating with Chef Colleen Butker, the owner of Uptown Sweets, and other projects involving equipment in the Fab Lab.

"This event is going to be a festival of inspiration and invention with cool hands-on activities," said Matthew Wade, Fab Lab coordinator. "We hope people of all ages will come, get inspired, and take advantage of all the resources we have at the Fab Lab to make their ideas come to life."

Wade said he's hoping this event will become an annual celebration of creation and innovation.

Space is available for anyone who would like to display their work. Contact Wade at mwade@patrickhenry.edu for additional information.

If you have a great idea, innovation, or are an aspiring entrepreneur, come to these great events in Uptown Martinsville!