# West Point STEAMfest for children rescheduled to Nov. 14 at the West Point Depot

- Published: 2026-11-07 20:26 UTC
- Section: Industry & People › Expos & events
- Tags: West Point STEAMfest, Erin Anderson, Georgia State University, Jacquard loom, punch card, textile industry history, STEAM education for children, robot racing, coding for kids, West Point Depot
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-8840953e60b16c25c05193df_west_point_steamfest/

**Dr. Erin Anderson of Georgia State University said the free STEAMfest for children from age four will run 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST, with engineers and hands-on zones.**

![West Point STEAMfest for children rescheduled to Nov. 14 at the West Point Depot](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/179516ea52415a20.jpg)
*Matt Brown from London, England, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0*

Dr. Erin Anderson spoke at Thursday's meeting of the West Point Rotary Club about the rescheduled West Point STEAMfest, according to LaGrange Daily News. The event will be held at the West Point Depot, 500 3rd Ave., on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST. [1] It was originally set for early October but was postponed because Hurricane Isaias was approaching the Gulf Coast that weekend. [1]

## Program and participants

Admission is free. Each child receives a programmer's passport and collects stamps at every zone; prizes can be won this way. [1] The festival is aimed at children ages four and up. Visitors can learn coding and binary crafts, make music with code, weave and invent together, watch robot wrestling and racing robots, interview engineers, and meet young entrepreneurs and a textile worker from the 1930s. [1]

A STEAM costume contest is planned. Children can come as a mad scientist, an astronaut or a robot, or as Ada Lovelace, Marie Curie or Frida Kahlo. Professors from universities in Georgia and Alabama will talk about the development of technology. Engineers from Kia and Troup County engineer James Emery will also attend. [1] Visitors are welcome in Victorian-era attire, which the New Horizon Community Theatre will lend that weekend.

## Textile history as the theme

Anderson lives in West Point and is a researcher at Georgia State University's College of Education, where she directs the Interactive Teaching and Learning Laboratory. She wants local children and families to step into West Point's 150-year story of invention. [1]

According to Anderson, modern technology began in the early textile industry. The Jacquard loom, invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804, automated the production of complex patterns such as brocade, damask and tapestry by controlling individual warp threads. Its punch card system later led to the development of computers by IBM in the 20th century. [1] Anderson also mentioned the early computerization work of Charles Babbage and the Luddite movement in 19th-century England, noting that progress always meets pushback.

Anderson is looking for volunteers. Costumes for them will be available at the New Horizon Community Theatre, 411 W. 8th St., on Friday, Nov. 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. EST. [1]

## Sources

1. [LaGrange Daily News](https://www.lagrangenews.com/news/anderson-updates-community-on-steamfest-603a7450)

---

Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-8840953e60b16c25c05193df_west_point_steamfest/