Old Ways Days

Oct. 18 & 19 10:00 to 4:00

At the ninth annual Old Ways Days, October 18 & 19 at Old Ways Traditions, 418 Shaker Rd., Canterbury there’ll be even more woodworking than there was at Wood Days (held for the last and 23rd time this Spring). We’ll have sawmilling and canoe building (once again), tool making , basket making, wood turning, and spoon making, as always and, of course, Tools for Kids, blacksmithing, trail walks and MORE MUSIC- blues, bluegrass, Americana, fiddling.

Old Ways Traditions exists to connect people with traditional ways of doing things, still viable today. Old Ways Days features hands on demonstrations;  you can try the skills and find out where to learn to master them.

Here’s some of our highlights:

Saw miller Ben Jones grew up working with his Dad in the woods of Loudon,  home base for his sawmill. He has a degree in wood science technology from U Maine Orono- knows his stuff, has sawmill, will travel. Bring him some logs to saw.

Canoe builder Ben Bean learned his craft from renowned canoe builder Rollin Thurlow of Atkinson, Maine. He will bring a  1934 Old Town he’s restoring. He and his wife will be doing cane canoe seats Sunday.

Master Wood Turner Marcel Durette is returning. He teaches at Heritage Woodworking School in New Market.
World class basketmaker Sharon Dugan will come with her exquisite ash baskets.

Mark Kneeland will be demonstrating and selling his hand carved spoons. David Anderson’s doing tool making. And, of course, our blacksmith Zack Archambeault will help you make something if you wish.

Master stonewall builder Kevin Fife will be doing stonework and helping to lead the trail walks- “The Stonewalls Tell the Story of the Farm”. (The 1785 Ham farm on which Old Ways is located.)    Pack goat Rory,  led by Caitlin Hammond,  is anxious to join us on the trail walks. Caitlin will bring two other goats, Amy and mamma Lillie are looking forward to meeting you.

Saturday noon to 2:00 Newfound Grass performs.  Banjo player Dave Shaw keeps them from getting too “newgrass.”

From 2:00 to 3:00 Arthur James acoustic blues the way you want to hear them.  You’ll love his runs and his patter.  He identifies all the songwriters he covers.  3:00 to 4:00 open mic.

Sunday from noon to 2:00 we have world class fiddlers Ryan and Brennish Thomson – Really – they performed in China earlier this year.  Backtrack Band follows them ‘til 3:00  with True American music – fine pickers, and they’ve got a dobro in the band.  (Their originals are at least as good as their covers.)

From 11:00 to 2:00 serving Dave’s famous chili (and hots and hams).

Trail walks with pack goat at 11:00 and 2:00 if desired – The Stonewalls Tell the Story of the Farm.

We are located 1 ¼ miles North of Canterbury Shaker Village.  Contact us at Old Ways Traditions, Dave and Anne Emerson, 418 Shaker Road, Canterbury NH, 03224; telephone 603 783 4403;  efurnitr@comcast.net