-- Wood Days 2010 Press Release --
WOOD DAYS LOVES ITS NEW HOME

The nineteenth annual Wood Days on June 5 & 6 will celebrate a special event. The year 2010 marks the 225th anniversary of the Ham Farm on Shaker Ridge in Canterbury. In 1785 Joseph Ham paid the first recorded taxes on the farmstead he cleared and established. Twenty-four years old at the time, Joseph was one of ten children of a Portsmouth master ship builder. The Ham Farm is now the home of Old Ways Traditions. The tremendous effort of the Ham family to turn this bony hillside into a workable farm motivates our efforts here at Old Ways to make this place an inspiration to all who come here. The hands-on activities offered at Old Ways help all ages to understand how the Hams would have accomplished their success here. Following the trails through the woods and fields and along the stream in the valley, the incredible variety of stonework tells the story of the farm

Dave and Anne Emerson have lived at the farm for half a century. We would like to welcome you.

At Wood Days, June 5th-10:00-5:00, & 6th-10:00-4:00, our largest gathering at Old Ways, we will join in sharing many of the traditional skills of the New England farm community: saw milling, timber framing, and woodworking, as well as box making, blacksmithing, harness making, steam bending, and basketmaking.

Most all of the demonstrators encourage both kids and adults to try their hand at whatever’s being done. As you’ll see at Old Ways, many traditional crafts are still practiced at a high level, and you’ll be able to experience doing them yourselves. Bluegrass music provides the perfect accompaniment to such activities and we will have three bands playing each day. On Saturday, June 5, GrassDawgs will open at 11:00 AM with hot bluegrass numbers and jamming. Sit in if you can keep up! At 1:00 PM we’ll have the Geddes Road Band. Never got to hear Flat and Scruggs live? Better catch these guys. From 3:00 PM Bow Junction’s fine traditional and original music will finish the day.

Sunday we open at 11:00 AM with Ellen Carlson and her brother, Darrell. Having played since they were young’uns, they sure know how to combine Ellen’s fiddle with Darrell’s guitar and voice for some music you’ll just have to sit and listen to. At 1:00 PM Homefolks will have you singing along when they do some of the best of our old time favorites. From 2:30 on Jack Pine Holdouts will keep things plenty lively with old time rural traditional music.

Local Food will be offered by The Maples of Warner. Admissions donation of $6.00 is suggested.

Old Ways events are sponsored by Brentwood Machinery and Tools, and Woodcraft, of Newington.  Old Ways Traditions is located at 418 Shaker Road, Canterbury, NH.  1 & ¼  mile north of Canterbury Shaker Village. For more information call 603 783 4403 or visit www.oldwaystraditions.net. Contact Dave Emerson at 603-783-4403 or efurnitr@comcast.net.