Opening Day

This weekend is opening weekend at the Fort at No 4. This is the first time The Fort has been open to the general public this year.

I believe this is the first opening weekend I’ve attended. It was fun, it was outstanding, it was hard work.

The first time I arrived, it felt like I was arriving at “House of Cash” from “Hurt”. “Closed to the Public”.

It felt like it was in disrepair, dying from neglect and lack of public love.

That’s not what it feels like today.

Ally had to stay home, she has been under the weather and is recovering. She has a hard deadline of two weeks to have her dress ready. Something special is happening for her.

My lady and I went up instead. When we pulled into the parking lot, the lot was more than half filled. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that full before, outside major events.

We had two of our blacksmiths working the forge. Richard Write and Sam. Richard has forgotten more about smithing than I expect to ever know. Sam is an expert in blade smithing. We discussed how to make a reproduction tool that would be period.

It is a bit of work, but I can make it happen.

We had visitors arrive. I learned that 4th and 5th graders have a sorry grasp on the history of this countries founding.

Still, it was good.

From there I headed over to the workshop, I had given two of my mallets to the Fort for use in the workshop.

Having had the winter to do research, I got to work with wood planes. It was adjusted perfectly. Watching the rough-cut lumber turning into finished product was a type of zen. The sound of a well tuned plane is something I don’t get in my modern shop.

I didn’t need to plane this wood down. It would have been fine like it was, I wanted to learn.

The Fort likes to have programs. These are times when an interpreter does something that visitors can watch, or sometimes, participate in.

Normally, I do plaining at the back side of the big table, this time I moved to the front and setup there, so people could see what was happening. Sure enough, there were soon visitors there.

My favorite type of visitor is a family with 3rd to 8th graders. Children that are still interested in the world and what came before, but not grumping about being off their phones.

We had at least two families like that.

The twins came in and were interested in the augers. They got to touch and teach me how it worked, then we looked around the shop to locate examples of holes with pegs. Mostly we found holes for legs and several chairs that holes in them for runners and whatever the back spindles are called.

They picked a plain, they got to see how it would work, then the boy got to use the plain. In other words, he was working to smooth the piece of lumber I needed to be smoothed. If we trick them into doing the work, is it really child labor?

Molding plains, shave horses, draw knives, yarn counter and others. They were bouncing and happy when the left. I’m hoping they will remember this day long into the future.

That’s it. I’m tired and sore. But it is good.

For those of you that are within the distance, I am really looking forward to seeing you at The Fort.