Roaring Camp Blacksmith Hammer-In August 16 & 17
By Anna Bobisuthi
Welcome to another great year of forging in the redwoods! It’s time once again for Roaring Camp’s annual Hammer-In, a spectacular event with blacksmiths from all over California meeting up for a weekend of fun and education! The event runs August 16 and 17 from 8 am to 5 pm. Organized by Bill Kasper, the California Blacksmith Association(CBA) and hosted by Roaring Camp. It’s fun for the whole family! Come watch 50 blacksmiths forge for the weekend, ask questions and see the sparks fly, OR if you’re a member of the CBA you can sign up and forge yourself! This event is great for beginners and experts alike!
Caitlin Morris demonstrates the fundamentals of blacksmithing with a focus on practical neuropsychology.
Amazing demonstrators for the weekend are:
Ellen Durken – Creating “Forged Fashion” Ellen has been working in metal for 15 years and her current body of work is wearable forged art, embracing physical and emotional vulnerability to decorate the body as visual and metaphorical armor. With a Graduate Degree in Fine Arts she demonstrates and teaches classes internationally. She’s coming all the way from Delaware to demonstrate for us and we are ecstatic to have her.
Jake Trogden – Jake was introduced to metal work at an early age and was immediately fascinated and that fascination turned into a lifelong passion. A mainstay at CBA conferences and events, teaching has allowed Jake to share his love for metalwork with others and continue to be a student himself.
John Barron – John will be demonstrating how to forge a copper and steel rose. A masterful blacksmith in Georgetown, CA, John first started working with metal in 1975 and specializes in architectural ironwork.
Mark Aspery and David Thayer – Hands on Projects this year are a Suffolk Latch and a Trivet. Our education team is amazing and great working with smiths of all ages and skill levels, plus they’re a ton of fun! Mark Aspery has literally written the book on blacksmithing!
A display of Hand Forged steel roses and animals.
This event was started by Frank Golding in 2016 and this is the 8th year we’ve held it. We are only able to organize this great event with support from the CBA which is a nonprofit blacksmithing association that holds workshops, classes, and conferences all over California. This event raises money for the organization and acts as a great education opportunity. If you have any questions feel free to stop by Roaring Camp on the weekends and talk to our resident blacksmiths. While we have blacksmiths at Roaring Camp year round, the Hammer-In only comes around once a year and is not to be missed. We hope to see you there!
The California Blacksmith Association hosts the Roaring Camp Hammer-In August 16 and 17.
If you go:
The Roaring Camp Hammer-In
August 16 & 17, 8 am to 9 pm
5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton
Details: roaringcamp.com/events
Photos contributed by Anna Bobisuthi. Featured photo by Julie Horner
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