As spring begins, we are working at Mount Vernon and Jeff is teaching blacksmithing classes before the summer heat arrives. If you are interested in a class or two, this is the time to do it! We are still finalizing some details, but this is how our spring and summer demo schedule is shaping up:
April 26 -
14 Fairfax Civil War Day (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) in Fairfax, Virginia. This is a new event for us, but we are excited to participate in support of
Historic Blenhein. Plus, with cannons,
living history encampments, period music by “Home Front,” tours of the Historic Blenheim House and grounds, hayrides, and more, it looks like a lot of fun! May 3 -
Wye Colonial Fair (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) in Wye Mills, Maryland. This will be our 3rd year demo’ing at this lovely church festival, complete with wagon rides, a May Pole, good food, children’s activities, a Blessing of the Animals service and a beautiful church building. Last year, my kids learned to make char cloth at this event….we are excited to see what this year brings!
May 18-19 -
Claude Moore Colonial Fair (11 a.m. - 4 p.m.) in McLean, Virginia. Our longest-standing demo, we don’t miss a fair! Fencing, great food, wonderful children’s activities, very nice plants for the garden, all on a small-scale so it is enjoyable for everyone.
June 7 -
Raiders and Invaders (12 p.m. - 6 p.m.) in Leonardtown, Maryland. This War of 1812 commemoration looks to be a lot of fun! The event is June 6-8, but we’ll only be demo’ing on the 7th.
From the event’s website: “Site of no great battles but with a whole lotta raiding going on by those ornery British, the war years of 1813 and 1814 were pretty much a bummer for local folks. Two centuries later, let us harken back to those years of raiding and invading. We’ll bring you some serious history, but we’re throwing-in more than a dollop of tongue-in-cheek fun. Find street theater, circus arts and invasion route boat tours—plus our own British Invasion—1960s style!”
June 21-22 -
War of 1812 Fair and Reenactment (10 a.m.- 4 p.m., with evening activities on the 21st) at Jefferson Patterson Park, Maryland. We’ve done this War of 1812 Commemoration the past two years, but this is a bigger, 2-day event that promises to be amazing. We’ve seen their reenacted battles before and they do it well!
August 13-16 -
ABANA National Conference in Harrington, Delaware. Jeff is on the board of ABANA, but even if he wasn’t, he’d be attending the conference. It’s a great way to see many different types of blacksmithing — what a learning experience!
August 23 -
The Battle of Bladensburg Commemoration in Bladensburg, Maryland (11 a.m. - 5 p.m., with additional evening activities). This is our final 1812 event of the summer season and it promises to be a good one, complete with fireworks over the Anacostia River!
