Our Demo at Clifton Mansion -- What a Day!

All demos are unique and there is always something surprising, but our demo at Clifton Mansion this past Saturday stood out in the midst of a very busy season.  We were happy to demo at at the newly-restored Clifton Mansion for their 1812 event "A Day at Clifton: After the Battle" but we don't usually show up with our trailer on a tow truck!   This was a first for us.

On the way to the event, our trailer suddenly came unhitched from the truck.  Thankfully, the safety chains held and Jeff was able to get safely to the side of a busy highway.  We are so grateful to the wonderful Baltimore Police officers who helped us with traffic control in the rain for an hour and a half, called an emergency tow truck, and finally waved us off with a reminder that "the show must go on!"

And so it did, with some wonderful helpers (thanks Jeff, Robert and William!) who helped us set up very quickly and efficiently.
 

We discovered that the 1812 event had been combined with the Civic Works Day of Service, where 400 members of the community had served among the community all morning and then returned to Clifton Mansion to enjoy special events and participate in the "After the Battle" historical event.  It was a wonderful opportunity to get to introduce the art of blacksmithing to many people who had never seen it before.

While Jeff taught the guests outside, I took the opportunity to admire the Mansion: 

 

So, despite a surprising start to the rainy day, we ended up blessed to be able to educate appreciative guests and share in Clifton Mansion's celebration of its ongoing-restoration.   

New Blacksmithing Event - A Day at Clifton: After the Battle of Baltimore

We're excited to highlight a last-minute addition to our blacksmithing schedule!  We'll be in Baltimore, Maryland, for "A Day at Clifton: After the Battle of Baltmore" to celebrate the legacy of the Battle of Baltimore and the history of the newly-renovated Clifton Mansion.   We'll be blacksmithing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Please come out and see us!  

Our Demo at the War of 1812 Battle of Caulk's Field Re-enactment

On Sunday, we spent a very hot day blacksmithing at the War of 1812 Battle of Caulk's Field Bicentennial Re-enactment.     There was something for everyone at this popular event: the Kent County Marching band (with a dancing crab), lots of great music, a hand-stitched 15-star American flag, the Maryland Light Dragoons, the reenactment of the battle itself (and much more!)...not to mention Jeff forging away!

 

 

A Rainy Day at the Battle of Bladensburg

It was a very rainy day at the Battle of Bladensburg, but the crowds were amazing given the weather!  Jeff and Vince made some cooking trivets, among other items.  A very lovely trivet went to a chef from D.C. -- I think it found the perfect home!  As always, we had our kid--friendly anvil out and it was used by lots of determined children (and some of their parents).   And, we were mentioned by the Washington Post in the article about the event -- we are the "blacksmithing family" they refer to in their piece!
 

 

 

"The Friendly Forge" at Jefferson Patterson Park's 1812 Festival

Last Saturday, we enjoyed being part of an 1812 Festival and Military Reenactment at the beautiful Jefferson Patterson Park in Maryland.   As usual, we were demonstrating the art of blacksmithing and had a great time doing so. We knew we were doing something right when a visitor called us the “Friendly Forge”!  

We had one of Jeff’s blacksmithing students working with us and they had lots of fun together — plus, they made some beautiful pieces in between their jokes!  

This demo was interesting because we usually demo in either modern or colonial clothing, although the interpretation for blacksmithing is not terribly different for any of these time periods, including the 1812 period.  

The clothing (particularly the women’s clothing) is quite different, though!  When my boys saw me in a dress appropriate to the 1812 time period, they were rather scandalized because it showed so much more skin around the neckline than my colonial outfits….never mind that they are used to me in modern clothes!  

 All in all, lots of fun on a gorgeous Saturday….