WKU News

The Kentucky Museum is thrilled to announce the return of Hammer-In, an outdoor festival celebrating metal working traditions of Kentucky. Sponsored by Logan Aluminum and Blue Moon Brewing Company, this year’s event will be held on October 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kentucky Museum and feature an expanded roster of demonstrators.

The festival is free and open to the public.

Beginning at 10 a.m., visitors will observe demonstrations of forge, tin smithing, aluminum pour, and basic forge skills. Interested guests can visit the WKU League of Sculptors booth to participate in making and creating their own aluminum pour to take home.

Guests will also be able to speak with representatives of The Kentucky Forge Council, WKU League of Sculptors, and special guest Mitch Latsch, host of the Highland Rim Blacksmithing Association in Erin, TN. Latsch is a long-time blacksmith who has done specialized work in enameling steel and iron.

Finally, the event is sanctioned by the Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths (AACB), which will be onsite for their monthly meeting followed by demonstrations for the public. The AACB preserves and promotes the art of blacksmithing, educating both men and women since 1965.

The event will also feature narrative stage talks throughout the day, led by the Kentucky Folklife Program. The Kentucky Folklife Program and WKU Folk Studies students will be recording the event through video and oral history interviews that document Kentucky’s unique metal working artisans and their craft.

Local food trucks Big Al’s Hot Damn Chicken and La Garrafa Artisan Ice Cream will be onsite.

Finally, the museum will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission and invites the public to view their recently opened First Farmers of the Barren River Valley exhibition.

More information and the event schedule are provided at wku.edu/go/hammerin

Sponsor

Special thanks to our sponsors, Logan Aluminum and Blue Moon Brewing Company.

Established in 1985 and based in Russellville, Logan Aluminum is the largest single can sheet facility in North America, supplying over 45% of the North American can market and employing over 1,300 Kentuckians.

Blue Moon Brewing Company was created in Denver, Colorado in 1995 with the goal of creating well-crafted beers inspired by Belgian styles with a refreshing twist. Today, the brand has catapulted the craft movement forward, shaping the modern American beer scene over the past twenty-five years. Blue Moon is the #1 craft beer in the United States.

About the Kentucky Museum

The Kentucky Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

The Kentucky Museum celebrates all aspects of southcentral Kentucky’s art, history and culture. “Kentuckians need to know Kentucky” was the Museum’s earliest conceptual framework, which took shape under WKU’s founding President, Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry. Today, the Museum is a steadfast educational campus partner helping to inspire innovation, elevate community and transform the lives of WKU students and the region. 

For more information, contact Tiffany Isselhardt at (270) 745-3369.