What a great event idea. There is something similar around here. Haven't been to it in a while. The Kiwanis org used to have a small second hand resale space downtown which was packed full every sat morning. Usually staffed by the white hair volunteers. Some were masters in their respective fields. Talking about replacement vacuum tube numbers and such.
https://www.maker-works.com/ A community shop space with decent basic tooling equipment. Nothing too unsafe unfortunately. For people to work on their own small projects. A neighbor a few blocks away has a membership.
https://www.maker-works.com/upcoming-events At the GO-Tech meetings people talk about their projects experiences or tech in general. Sort of like a mini TED talk. Plus woodworking, radio, quilting, and other groups. Fix-it Friday Event has something similar to what you've described.