The Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan will ring with the sound of hammers hitting anvils during its ninth-annual Smith-In Blacksmith Festival on Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15 from 10 am to 4pm.
More than 18 blacksmiths from across Ontario, Qu矇bec, and the USA will come together to share their skills with each other and museum visitors. In the timber-framed Williams Pavilion, blacksmiths will be demonstrating using a variety of portable forges. In the museums Olivier Hamelin Blacksmith Shop, a building from the 19th Century, visitors will see blacksmiths working on musket barrels and other tools. The museums reproduction of an early 19th Century military forge cart with large bellows and wooden carriage wheels will also be in use. This year many of the blacksmiths will be forging 19th Century style scissors. Visitors can wander the museum grounds and see traditional blacksmithing happening in almost every corner.
Many of the blacksmiths will have items on display and for sale. On Saturday, June 14, there will be a variety of local craftspeople, artisans, and vendors to complement the visiting blacksmiths. Woodworkers, potters, fibre artists, and others will be on hand selling their creations. Please note that the majority of vendors will only be onsite on Saturday. On Sunday, June 15, there will be the addition of demonstrations, including musket ball making, broadsword drills and spinning with a drop spindle. Supervised childrens activities, food and refreshments will be available all weekend long.
For the blacksmith enthusiasts out there, the museum is offering a weekend pass. If you purchase a ticket on Saturday and want to come back Sunday, visitors can ask for a half price voucher at the gate to return the next day and see where the blacksmiths are at in their creations.
The blacksmith and his shop were at the center of village life in the 19th Century. The blacksmith shoed horses, made and repaired all the tools needed for agriculture, transportation, forestry, and other industries. The blacksmith shop, or smithy, was a key social hub, and smiths often performed important ceremonial roles in their communities.
Come see how this traditional role of the Blacksmith is staying alive and how it has transitioned into the 21st Century. On June 14 and 15 smell the coal smoke and see the sparks fly when hammers meet hot iron! What better event could there be to attend on the Fathers Day weekend?
