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Celebrating cultures

14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Arts & Music Festival this weekend

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm John Stow displayed his blacksmithing skills on Friday at the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Arts and Music Festival. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

The smell of burning wood, meats and treats. The soft lull of a Native American flute. The clang of a hammer on metal. All these sensations and more under the cover of a forest canopy can mean just one thing.

This is the weekend to take a step back in time at the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Arts and Music Festival.

More than 80 vendors, artisans, musicians and more kicked off the three-day event on Friday. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

A multitude of handmade wares are available for purchase and numerous artisans share their expertise as visitors meander through the tree-covered setting.

Jeff Carlstrom worked away on some wood with Hunter Stow on Friday. Stow was shaving a long stick, not certain of what it might become. Carlstrom proclaimed himself a “wood butcher.”

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm Hialeah Stanton, 10, of Russell took time out from her duties as a Dairy Miss on Friday to visit with goats Danny and Oscar. Stanton was manning the dairy table at the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Arts and Music Festival. It continues Saturday and Sunday at 4047 Fox Hill Road.

Many kids who attend the festival stop to watch and learn what Carlstrom does.

“People need to see this,” he said. “Kids stop here. They watch and learn. They tell their parents how much they love it.”

Carlstrom has done programs at schools and asked kids what they would pack if they were headed to a new land and had just one pack. “They answer clothes or something like that,” he said. “I tell them they just need to pack tools. They can make everything they need with the right tools.”

Carlstrom then showed how a bucket burden works. A young man willingly obliged as Carlstrom put what slightly resembled a small oxen yoke with space carved out to curve around a neck along his shoulders. On each side, he put a bucket with long rope handles. He claimed even a small reporter could carry two full buckets with the device.

Directly across from Carlstrom’s wood butchering area, a man who said Carlstrom was “his inspiration” stoked a fire and arranged his blacksmithing tools. John Stow, the father of Hunter, said he got started blacksmithing eight or nine years ago after he was inspired by Carlstrom.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm Lady and Smokey waited not so patiently for lunch on Friday at the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Arts and Music Festival. The pair are part of a petting zoo at the festival. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

Stow set up a display of his wares including some tomahawks, a frying pan, spatulas, hooks, tripods, fire pokers, and even a toilet paper holder. As he worked the hand-crank blower to fan the fire, another metal rod was heated up in preparation for another creation.

Not far from the wood butchering and blacksmithing, just past a stockade that attracts photo lovers, sat a long wooden canoe, also connected to Carlstrom. Tim Ferrie said he and Carlstrom created the canoe from a pine log in 1997. It took them just three days to create.

“We had it in the water at Allegheny State Park once,” Ferrie said. The logboat will hold about 200 to 500 pounds, according to Ferrie.

According to Ferrie’s research, many years ago similar boats were built as barges to haul commodities other than people. “They still find them buried in the mud,” he said.

In addition to artists and artisans, the festival includes a petting zoo, food, drinks, live music, kid’s activities and games, Native American story-telling, historical speakers and reenactors and more.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm More than 80 vendors, artisans, musicians and more kicked off the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Festival on Friday. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm Visitors to the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Festival can look into the past and enjoy the present. More than 80 vendors, artisans, musicians and more kicked off the festival on Friday. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm Jeff Carlstrom and Hunter Stow were busy “butchering” wood on Friday at the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Arts and Music Festival. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm Visitors to the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Festival can look into the past and enjoy the present. More than 80 vendors, artisans, musicians and more kicked off the festival on Friday. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm Visitors to the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Festival can look into the past and enjoy the present. More than 80 vendors, artisans, musicians and more kicked off the festival on Friday. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm Visitors to the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Festival can look into the past and enjoy the present. More than 80 vendors, artisans, musicians and more kicked off the festival on Friday. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm John Stow displayed his blacksmithing skills on Friday at the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Arts and Music Festival. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm John Stow displayed his blacksmithing skills on Friday at the 14th Annual Kinzua Heritage Arts and Music Festival. It continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4047 Fox Hill Road, a few hills away from Russell.

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