Some of the activities included blacksmithing, buggy rides, chicken processing, fire by friction, knife sharpening, spoon carving, salt making, shingle riving, all of which comprised only a fraction of the educational classes offered.

As usual, I provided demonstrations of primitive and survival skills. Many of these demos centered around the use of available resources that can turn typical “trash” into survival tools. I turned a coffee can into a suspended cooking pot, a soda bottle cap into a whistle, a soda can into a hobo fishing rig, a broken headlight into a fire starter, a hacksaw blade into a flint & steel striker, and bottle bottoms into a cutting blade and an arrowhead. I also demonstrated the traditional bow & spindle fire by friction method and shadow-stick directional navigation.

Turtle Island Preserve is a great environment to experience heritage skills and self-sustainable living skills. You can learn more about TIP at their website and keep up with their activities on their FaceBook page.

I was scheduled to set up my teepee outside where I could perform firecraft and cooking, but there was a driving rain all the way to the fairgrounds where the event was being held. Although teepees are portable shelters, they don’t store well when wet, so I was not inclined to set it up when I wouldn’t be able to let it dry out with eventual sunny weather. I spoke to the event coordinator about the possibility of setting it up inside the exhibition hall, and to my delight, there was both height and space available.

In lieu of a campfire, I decided to perform Flint and Steel fire making demonstrations using my fire tray as my portable campfire pit. I had invited a family friend, Jeremiah, to join me for this event to assist in handling equipment and interfacing with attendees. After several demonstrations, he was able to take a turn and was able to make his first Flint and Steel fire. Way to go! He also provided the photo for this blog.

I appreciated the opportunity to share my passion. If you are able to attend any of the events that I post in my calendar, I would love to have you contact me during your visit so that we can meet and chat.