Hartwick Pines to host Black Iron Days Festival Aug. 27-28

See blacksmiths, craft demonstrators and a 1912 steam-powered sawmill in action.
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Hartwick Pines News

Aug. 22, 2016

Contact: Hillary Pine, 989-348-2537

Hartwick Pines to host Black Iron Days Festival Aug. 27-28

Blacksmith holding iron in hot coalsSaturday and Sunday, Aug. 27 and 28, Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling, Michigan, will host the annual Black Iron Days Festival at the park’s logging museum. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, blacksmiths will pound and shape metal into a range of practical and decorative items.

Visitors can watch glowing iron bend like clay and hear the ring of hammer meeting steel. The sights, sounds and scents of a 1912 steam-powered sawmill cutting pine logs into boards will add to the activity at the site. Other craft demonstrations will include period music, woodworking, weaving and wool spinning.              

The Hartwick Pines Logging Museum, part of the Michigan History Center, interprets the white pine logging era of 1840-1910. The Black Iron Days Festival is sponsored by the Friends of Hartwick Pines, and all proceeds go toward the interpretive and educational programs offered at Hartwick Pines State Park. 

For more information about Black Iron Days or other programs at Hartwick Pines, please call 989-348-2537 or visit www.michigan.gov/hartwickpinesvc. There is no charge for attending Black Iron Days, but a Recreation Passport is required for park entry. 

The Michigan History Center’s museum and archival programs foster curiosity, enjoyment, and inspiration rooted in Michigan's stories. It includes the Michigan History Museum, 10 regional museums, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve, and the Archives of Michigan. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/michiganhistory.

/Editors' note: Accompanying photos are available below for download. A suggested caption follows.

Visitors can watch blacksmiths pounding and shaping metal – as well as a 1912 steam-powered sawmill cutting pine logs into boards and other craft demonstrations – during Black Iron Days at Hartwick Pines Logging Museum Aug. 27-28./


The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

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