-- Old Ways Days 2011 --

At Old Ways Days, October 15 & 16, Canterbury NH – so many opportunities for you and your kids to try things you’ve never done before. Have you ever wanted to try your hand at a blacksmith forge? Get the feel of traditional tools working wood? Steam bend oak, build stonewall, spin, weave? Help drive oxen? All this and more await you at Old Ways Days where both adults and children can discover that they can actually do many things in the tried and true ways of our forbearers.

Work with blacksmiths at their forges. Try stone cutting. Do stone wall re-building with Kevin Fife. Prepare black ash splints and work with other local basket materials with Linda Hartman and watch Sharon Dugan create exquisite baskets. Make cornhusk dolls. The wide variety of Tools for Kids (and adults) will be available as always, including drills, planes, coping saws, spoke shaves, and even a lathe.

Enjoy fine Old Time and Bluegrass music from Home Folks and Geddes Road Band Saturday at noon and 2 pm and Bow Junction and Mike English  on Sunday.  Kathy Salinitro will return with her huge oxen that even little kids can lead and guide. Come hungry – delicious local food from The Maples of Warner.  Go home with some finely made work from the crafts people demonstrating.

Buy Tools to do what you’ve tried from an antique collectible tool dealer and vintage useable tool dealer. Watch the antique engines running vintage machinery.
Old Ways Traditions is part of a 1785 farm and includes trails through the forest, fields, and along a stream. A trail guide adds to the experience by explaining the farm’s history.

Old Ways Traditions at Dave and Anne Emerson’s, 418 Shaker Road, Canterbury, NH is 1 ¼ miles North of Canterbury Shaker Village on Shaker Road. Hours are 10 – 4:00 Sat and Sun Oct. 15 & 16 and an admission donation of $5.00 is requested. A raffle of local crafts supports the event as do our neighbors and Brentwood Machinery and Tools and Woodcraft of Portsmouth.

For more information about this event contact Dave Emerson at 603-783-4403 or efurnitr@comcast.net.