Aside from brushing elbows with the famous, I was able to meet many new festival visitors and demonstrated various ways to make fire using friction, percussion, and solar methods. For lunch I prepared fish for baking by covering it with mustard green leaves then covering that bundle with clay and placing it on coals. It normally takes about 45 minutes to bake with abundant coals but with the modest amount that I had generated the time had to be extended a bit. The results were great. I handed out chop-sticks to the adventurous folk who eagerly waited to pull off a piece of tender fish.

One of the fun aspects of this event is that I get to erect my Cheyenne style teepee and my 5 foot long fish “pillow” on a tripod. Both of these displays draw lots of interest for “photo ops”. I try to let the photographers get in their family photos too and occasionally become the photographer for them. Of course it is an honor to be a subject of their photos and I would like to thank all of the folks who share them with me as I get so involved that I forget to take me own photos of the event.

The Brushy Mountain Apple Festival is held the first Saturday each October. Perhaps I’ll see you next year?!?

After setting up my display I was approached by a 71 year old woman who with great enthusiasm announced that she was a Prepper and was actively making provisions for potential natural disasters or other catastrophic events. I listened as she shared the variety of activities she did in this pursuit. I asked her if she had ever made a fire using a ferro rod and she replied “no”, so I asked her if she would like to learn how, to which she enthusiastically replied “yes!”.

I pulled out one of my ferro/mag bars and showed her the construction and purpose of the design and then demonstrated the technique of pulling the rod out from under the striker to keep the sparks centered on the tinder and thus not disturbing the tinder pile by using the opposite approach of striking down the rod with the striker. I handed the device to the woman and had her take a few practice sparks. We learned that this larger ferro/mag bar was an asset because of her arthritic condition and enabled her to hold it well enough for the task.

She had success on the first strike! It’s moments like this that make these events so rewarding. She was able to walk away with a new skill that now helps her to be better prepared. It’s also refreshing to see the festival craftsmen demonstrate their skills so that we can become better prepared too.

Several streets are blocked off for this event. Survivaltek was located on the West end of Main Street on the lower level parking area where I was able to set up the Teepee and displays of survival crafts and products. Of course, firecraft demos were on the agenda as well as baking fish in clay. I over-heard many country folk who recognized the “rabbit gum” or live box trap on display. I also met other enthusiasts who shared their personal experiences. Meanwhile, I’m taking notes and adding to my knowledge base which I enjoy sharing with my website visitors and newsletter subscribers. If you’re in the area next year about this time, stop by Applefest and look for the Teepee…

Check out these photos from Channel 5 WRAL PHOTO 1, PHOTO 2, and PHOTO 3.

Added 05 May 2010 – Merlefest Gallery Photos