On a dark desert highway, you find yourself cruising down the open road with the wind in your hair and the stars above shining brightly. As you drive along, you can't help but feel a sense of solitude and adventure, as the vast expanse of the desert stretches out before you. The desert at night is a mysterious and captivating place. The dark, empty landscape seems to hold secrets within its sandy dunes and cacti. The absence of civilization and the hustle and bustle of everyday life leaves you with a sense of freedom and tranquility. As you continue driving, the only sound that fills the air is the steady hum of your engine and the faint howling of the wind.
Noah Speed (left) and Forrest Hart (right) crank a wheel to launch bottle rockets. This is one of many STEAM-focused activities at The Magic House's first permanent location in St. Louis.
Lower says these kinds of experiences are essential, and making them available for kids of all backgrounds is one step toward making future tech jobs accessible, too. With their generous support, The Magic House, MADE for Kids is able to offer a variety of free admission opportunities to ensure that all children have the opportunity to visit this unique makerspace.
As you continue driving, the only sound that fills the air is the steady hum of your engine and the faint howling of the wind. The darkness is enveloping, but the headlights of your car cut through it, illuminating the road ahead. The contrast between the darkness and the illuminated path serves as a metaphor for life's uncertainties and the need for courage and resilience to navigate through them.
The Magic House Teams Up On Makerspace For Kids In St. Louis
Alexandra Wessels (right) builds a rainbow Lego hotel with twins Sophie (middle) and Cecie (left) Goeller on the first day of a summer camp at The Magic House at MADE. Roughly 30,000 people are expected to visit the space by the end of the year.
Through the doors of the Magic House at MADE, kids are testing rocket launchers, designing video game characters and learning how to use 3D printers.
This new satellite location on Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis is a recent expansion from the children’s museum’s flagship in Kirkwood. What’s different is the focus on entrepreneurship.
“MADE stands for makers, artists, designers and entrepreneurs, so we’ve divided our space into those four areas,” says Beth Fitzgerald, president of The Magic House.
It’s a partnership between the children’s museum and some well-known innovators in St. Louis like entrepreneur Jim McKelvey and the Cortex Innovation Community. Their goal with this new space is to inspire the next wave of entrepreneurs and creatives, most especially in underserved neighborhoods in north St. Louis.
“We’re trying to reach young makers, and everybody is a maker in their heart. I believe every human, especially little humans, like building things,” McKelvey said.
The Making Of MADE
McKelvey always wanted to create a makerspace in St. Louis. The co-founder of Square and Third Degree Glass, among other ventures, was inspired by glassblowing and woodworking early on in life.
“When I was a kid we didn’t have makerspaces like this, but I was always jealous of the guy with a table saw in his garage or somebody’s father who had a welding machine or whose mother had some really cool equipment,” he said. “So as soon as I had the chance, opening a place like this was absolutely something I was going to do.”
McKelvey funded the MADE building, which his Third Degree Class co-founder Doug Auer renovated. The adult makerspace opened up in November, just a year after TechShop filed for bankruptcy. The national makerspace had operated in St. Louis in the Cortex Innovation Community, and CEO Dennis Lower was holding on to over $1 million in equipment — like a water jet, laser cutter and woodworking shop.
“The business model is that I paid for everything, and Dennis, the guys at Cortex got us equipment for basically a buck a year,” McKelvey said. “So we have this super sweetheart deal on the equipment, we have this super sweetheart deal on the space and we’re just trying to cover our costs. I’m hoping it breaks even.”
The Magic House came to MADE with a similar mission to offer a makerspace that’s affordable for all families. While its Kirkwood location charges $12 a day, a day admission to the St. Louis location is just $5. A yearlong family pass is $50, and scholarships are available for summer camps.
That’s thanks in part to a $500,000 donation from Cortex, specifically to cover entrance fees for kids from underserved neighborhoods.
Credit Corinne Ruff | St. Louis Public RadioNoah Speed (left) and Forrest Hart (right) crank a wheel to launch bottle rockets. This is one of many STEAM-focused activities at The Magic House's first permanent location in St. Louis.
Kids are allowed to play with whatever sparks their curiosity. Digital easels, pottery wheels and laser cutters are all designed to develop skills in science, technology, engineering, art and math. Lower says these kinds of experiences are essential, and making them available for kids of all backgrounds is one step toward making future tech jobs accessible, too.
“Our horizons are determined by what we are exposed to. And so if we’re looking to bring the next gen into the STEM and STEAM professions, we have to start now, we have to captivate their imaginations,” Lower said. “We have to show them what they can do with their hands and their mind.”
A Makers Village
For McKelvey, Lower and others involved in the makers movement, it’s not just about creating one makerspace — but an entire village along Delmar Boulevard between Kingshighway Boulevard and Union Boulevard.
That would include more work shops and retail locations where entrepreneurs could sell their wares. At the end of June, MADE, The Magic House and Third Degree Glass will host the first Delmar Makers Fair for artists and designers to showcase their work.
“What we’re trying to do is make a makers genius cluster,” McKelvey said. “So if you look at the history of other parts of the world that have exceptional talent that’s really deep in an area, what you find is people with similar but not identical backgrounds clustering together. So, we’re hoping to do that with makers here,” he said.
Currently, about a half-dozen businesses operate out of the MADE space, and McKelvey hopes that number rises to 20 or 30 within a year.
He’s also hoping these makers serve as role models to the kids up on the second floor, as they develop their own entrepreneurial skills to market and sell their designs.
“We don’t expect everyone to come in here and build a business. I expect most people will come in here and have fun,” he said, “but there are also those people who will start businesses, and the point is, we have all the tools here to do that.”
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That would include more work shops and retail locations where entrepreneurs could sell their wares. At the end of June, MADE, The Magic House and Third Degree Glass will host the first Delmar Makers Fair for artists and designers to showcase their work.
The desert highway seems endless, stretching out into the horizon with no signs of civilization in sight. This feeling of isolation can be both liberating and unnerving. It puts things into perspective and allows you to introspect and reflect on life's journey. As the miles roll on, you can't help but wonder about the stories hidden beneath the deserted landscape – the tales of travelers who have passed through this very highway, their hopes, dreams, and secrets. At some point, you may come across an oasis in the desert, providing a temporary respite from the desolate surroundings. The sight of palm trees swaying gently in the breeze and a shimmering pool of water amidst the seemingly endless desert gives a contrasting sense of hope and possibility. It reminds you that even in the darkest of times, there is always a glimmer of light and a chance for rejuvenation. But eventually, you find yourself back on the highway, continuing your journey through the dark desert. The solitude and eerie beauty of the night are captivating, but as the night goes on, fatigue may start to set in. The darkness seems to amplify the tiredness, and you begin to yearn for the comfort and familiarity of a well-lit city. As the sun starts to rise, bathing the desert in a warm golden glow, you realize that your adventure through the dark desert highway is coming to an end. The night's solitude and introspection have given way to the promise of a new day, filled with endless possibilities and opportunities. On a dark desert highway, driving down the open road, you have experienced moments of solitude, uncertainty, and introspection. The journey through the enchanting darkness has taught you the importance of resilience, hope, and embracing the endless possibilities that lie ahead..
Reviews for "The Dark Desert Highway: A Gateway to the Beyond"
-Alex Smith - 2 stars - I really wanted to like "On a dark desert highway," but I found it to be quite disappointing. The plot felt disjointed and confusing, jumping between different time periods and characters without any clear connection. The pacing was also off, with long stretches of slow, uneventful scenes followed by rushed, action-packed sequences. Additionally, I found the characters to be one-dimensional and lacking depth, making it difficult for me to connect with or care about their struggles. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and uninvested in the story.
-Megan Johnson - 1 star - "On a dark desert highway" was not my cup of tea at all. The writing style was overly pretentious, filled with unnecessary metaphors and flowery language that served no purpose other than to make the text feel needlessly convoluted. The story itself was confusing and lacked a clear direction, leaving me feeling lost and frustrated as a reader. The characters were also poorly developed, with their motivations and actions often feeling unrealistic or forced. I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it fell far short of my expectations.
-Ben Thompson - 2.5 stars - While "On a dark desert highway" had some interesting ideas and concepts, the execution left much to be desired. The plot was intriguing at first, but as the story progressed, it became increasingly convoluted and difficult to follow. The pacing was uneven, with long stretches of slow build-up that failed to deliver on the promised payoff. The characters, too, were underdeveloped, making it difficult for me to care about their fates. Overall, I appreciate the author's ambition, but I feel that the book needed more polish and refinement to truly succeed.