Wednesday, Feb 9, 2022 - TGoM membership meeting
The Program Committee is working hard to set our February 9 membership meeting location. As of Dec. 28, 2021, due to the unprecedented times we’re trying to work with (COVID-19), we do not yet have a meeting location. We will contact the membership as soon as our location is determined, by sending an email via the bellows. We will also update our website with that info. Keep an eye on it!
Sunday, Dec 5 - TGoM's Holiday Gathering at CSPS Hall, St. Paul, MN
Join The Guild of Metalsmiths for our annual holiday gathering at CSPS Hall in St. Paul (address 385 Michigan St, at the corner of West 7th and Western). The hall will open at noon. We usually share hors d’ouvres as people arrive, so bring your favorites if you wish. The annual business meeting is first on the agenda, including awards, elections, and the normal business stuff starting at 1:00 pm and going on for an hour or so. Your participation is key to this. That leads into show and tell, and possibly an impromptu mini-auction. By then, we’ll all have worked up an appetite to sit down to our always delightful holiday potluck. Please bring a dish to pass. If you’re a first-timer to this event, just go upstairs at the front of the building when you get there. An elevator entrance is also located on the side just off the parking lot. Bring your family! Any questions about this meeting can be answered by contacting meeting champion Mike Frattalone at icemanfratt@aol.com.
Saturday, November 20 St. Clement's Feast Day at Torg Brewery
Not sure what to do in the gap between The Madness and the Christmas Party?
Come celebrate St. Clement’s Feast Day with Beer and Blacksmiths! Observed on Saturday, November 20, hosted by Torg Brewery and The Guild of Metalsmiths
St. Clement is (one of) the patron saint(s) of blacksmiths and metalworkers. His feast day was a rare day off for these metal artisans when their toils at the forge were replaced by food and drink, and the noise of the shop was replaced by the (one must assume off-tune) singing and toasting in pubs. Whether you are a smith or not, come join us as we celebrate this heritage!
Where: 8421 University Avenue NE, Spring Lake Park, MN 55432
When: 11 AM to 11 PM (or whenever we run out of steam, some of us are getting old)
• First drink is free for Guild members! Non-Guild smiths get a buy-one-get-one token!
• Bring potluck food/snacks suitable for a gracing Feast of St. Clement!
• Bring show and tell items to impress your fellow Guilders and the non-smithing public!
• Bring your favorite clinker to vie for the title of King Clinker!
• Sing Twankydillo, make toasts, quaff* good beer!
• Play Bocce Anvil and Pinch the Devil’s Nose!
• Blacksmithing demonstrations (weather permitting)!
If we are lucky, Old Clem might even grace us with his presence!
Wednesday, October 13 membership meeting
The Wednesday, October 13 membership meeting is at the Jackson Street Roundhouse.
(193 W.Pennsylvania Ave, St. Paul, MN 55130)
For the meeting, we will not plan any demonstration due to the blacksmith shop being under re-construction. Weather permitting, we may set up a portable forge outside the front door for a demonstration.
We invite all the members to bring items for show and tell. Please remember items that you have shown in the past may not have been seen by some of the newer members.
The usual potluck will start at 6:30 followed by a short business meeting, then show and tell. The champion is Gordon Barr (agbarr@metalsmith.org) so contact him if you have any questions.
A couple years ago, a sprinkler system burst in the machine shop/blacksmith shop completely shutting it down. After years of cleaning up and re-organizing, you will see the progress of the rebuilding – it is not done but well on the way.
If you have never been to this location, it is loaded with history and activities for the entire family. Check out their website at http://www.transportationmuseum.org. If you look at
https://mtm.my-free.website/blacksmith-forge, you may see some of the pictures of what the blacksmith shop looked like when Nick Heinen, Charlie Bateman and Gordon Barr created it in 2012.
Demonstration and Open Forge at Nowthen Threshing Show: August 20-22, 2021
Guild members will be demonstrating blacksmithing to the public on the Nowthen Historical Power Association grounds north of Anoka during the annual threshing show. The dates are August 20, 21, and 22. The blacksmith shop has 5 forging stations, and we’ll be working in shifts to cover 8:00-5:00 Friday, 8:00-5:00 Saturday, and 8:00-4:00 Sunday. Coal will be provided. Bring your own tools and projects to demonstrate our fascinating craft to the general public.
There will be a signup sheet at the August 11 membership meeting, or people can email the event champion, Christina Dodge. Volunteer early and you’ll be given a pass into the show and your choice of demo time(s). Drop-ins are welcome, too. Just might need to wait a bit for a forge to open up.
Bring family or friends, there are a lot of interesting things going on that weekend: tractor pulls and a tractor parade each day, steam engines firing up, sawmill running, food and beverages and demonstrations of historic village activities, industries and crafts along with the main event, threshing demonstrations.
Please contact Christina Dodge at:
christina.guildmbr@gmail.com
Membership Meeting/CornFeed/Pig Roast: August 11, 2021
Join your smithing friends and families as we gather once again to celebrate summer with a potluck meal and membership meeting Wednesday, August 11, 6:30 p.m. at Dan Pate’s farm. It includes Herb Fick’s hog barbeque, potluck dishes by YOU (the membership), and sweet corn prepared by our new “corn cook,” Larry Sorenson. And thank you to Dick and Irma Carlson for handling the sweet corn for the past umpteen years! Herb adds: “Of course the early arrivals will help shuck the corn. We hope for a lot of early arrivals.”
Herb, the champion for this meeting, says the pig is ordered, he has his pit crew ready, and he’s got Brendan Stevens for a demonstration. Myron has offered his demo forge kit, and Kim Maas (TGoM’s Volunteer Coordinator) has put out a call for volunteers to help prep the grounds and clean up the day after the meeting (see page 2).
Herb says: “I am nominally in charge. That means little. Jesse and Taya (Gavin) really do a lot of the work, as in having the supplies, tables and chairs there. There is a regular cadre that shows up to support them.”
Sidenote: Herb would appreciate email from those willing to confirm participation in the pre-meeting grounds cleanup. It takes a few volunteers to shift the cars around and do the mowing, tree trimming, and using the forge time available in the afternoon.
Last year (2020) Dan bought an event tent for the night. We all know how that worked out. In addition, our host, Dan, has always had something new to show as he offers to demonstrate most everything in his shop. This is key for Herb because Dan’s tool set and skill set is way different from the typical member of our group, and he has wondrous techniques to share.
Contact Herb with questions about the meeting, herb@phyque.com
Volunteers needed to help make this meeting a repeated success. Contact Kim with questions about volunteering: tgom.volunteer@gmail.com
Dan Pate's Shop: 35730 Hiway 56 Blvd, Dennison, MN 55108
TGoM Spring Hammer-In: June 18-20, 2021
— From Wayne Olson
In-Person Meeting Plan: June 9, 2021
As was published in the May Forum, for the June meeting (barring any major changes in the pandemic) we will be gathering at "The Landing" in Shakopee. We are following the Minnesota Department of Health guidelines as to how many people we have in attendance. Right now that has been changed to 50 people indoors with social distancing, and no specific limits to outdoor gatherings. Because of this we no longer need to keep a list of those who plan on attending.
I appreciate very much those who responded to Kim and let her know. The recommendations also talked about those who are not yet vaccinated, and any one who is concerned continue to wear a mask at gatherings. Take care of yourself, and take care of others, might be another way to think of it.
I realize this is frustrating, troublesome and possibly other things, but the committee feels this is the most responsible way to have an in-person meeting at this time.
For the meeting itself Myron will bring a forge and demonstrate either leaf key chain fobs, or calla lilies, and Bob Brown will demonstrate the blown over leaf scroll, as was used in Mark Pearce's candelabra and is used in railings fences and grills.
There will still be No Pot Luck. Bring food & drink only for yourselves or eat beforehand. Again this is due to pandemic concerns. We have lost too many people to not take this simple precaution. We will need to socially distance ourselves, and we strongly encourage the use of masks.
As I said last month I want to see everyone, but for a long time to come, not just right now.I look forward to seeing folks. Thank you for your continued patience.
View the Three Rivers Parks website (of which The Landing is a part) at the link below: https://www.threeriversparks.org/location/landing
— From Derrick Phillips
February 2021
Last meeting was the Pete Stanaitis shop tour in February 2021. Enjoy.