Thursday Evening, May 17 - Saturday, May 19
Lion's Club Fairgrounds, Madison, Georgia
THE CONFERENCE SITE
We will hold the 2007 Southeastern Regional Blacksmith Conference at the Madison Lion's Club Fairgrounds in Madison, Georgia.
The site has a large, covered, open-sided barn with bleacher seating for comfortable blacksmithing demonstrations in any weather. The
fairgrounds' air-conditioned main building accommodates everyone for Registration, Meals, the Auction, the Family Programs, and
other indoor activities. The main building and its snack bar opens at 7 am. There will be a caterer for breakfast and lunch both days with
a short menu at economical prices. The primitive camping area is near the main building and inside the fence for security. There are no
hookups but the fairground has water and restrooms. Ask about camping at the gate.
2005 DEMONSTRATIONS
2007 DEMONSTRATIONS
THURSDAY EVENING BANQUET
The Thursday Night Banquet will at the Lyon's Club in the main building followed by a reception at the Madison Morgan Cultural Center.
An old tradition of welcoming our demonstrators and teachers will start at 6:00 p.m.
If you plan to join us for the celebration dinner, you must pre-register by May 1.
Registering for this event will not be available after that time.
Afterwards there will be a reception at the Madison Morgan Cultural Center welcoming SBA and viewing of the Blacksmithing with a Southern Accent show.
See the MMCC brochure for information on this event.
AUCTION OF DONATED ITEMS
On Friday night we will auction pieces of donated ironwork, tools, and other items of interest to blacksmiths. These items are donated
by you and are a major source of income for the Conference. The auction is always one of the high points of the conference
entertainment. Take advantage of this chance to pick up tools and handmade ironwork for your collection. Auctioneers for the evening
will be Tim Ryan.
Bring something to donate to the auction: your work, tools, books, etc., anything that will help raise money to support the conference.
The auction provides a big portion of the money needed to put on the conference and we need your support and donations to make it a
success. On Saturday we will have a short auction to sell pieces made by the demonstrators during the conference, plus any items
donated on Saturday. If you can't make it to the conference but would like to donate something for the auction, contact Allan Kress,
(256) 775-1575, to make arrangements for shipping.
IRONWORK DISPLAY
An exhibit of members' work will be displayed in the main building. Bring something to show off your skills and artistic abilities. The
public will be able to see this part of the conference, so label your pieces and display them with pride. Contact Elfie Early , (770) 345-5038, of the Alex Bealer Blacksmith Association for details.
TAILGATE TOOL SALES
The Southeastern Regional Conference has always had one of the largest tailgate tool and rust sales areas. Bring your extra stuff or your
extra cash to do some horse trading on blacksmithing and related equipment. The tailgate tool sales area will be open throughout the
conference. Open to anyone who has registered for the conference. For a set-up location, contact Clyde Payton or any member of the
Florida Artist Blacksmiths Association or Ocmulgee members providing security at the gate.
BLACKSMITHING CLASSES
Metal Forging and Non-forging
Rick Jay - Copper flowers
Rick is a metal sculpture artist and is back by popular demand. He worked for many years out west and up north on the pipeline. He has studied under many smiths at the John C. Campbell Folk School and has studied flower making with Clay Spencer, Dorothy Stiegler and Judy Berger. You will create your own copper rose during this course with Rick. This class is limited to 12 students and there is a cost of $30 to cover supplies.
Green Coal Blacksmith classes
This class is a must for beginning blacksmiths. Absolutely no skill is required. The classes will be hands on and you get to take home your masterpiece. Expect to have a good time and to learn a lot. Come to any one or all of the classes. SBA will provide workstations, some tools and materials. Bring your own safety glasses if you have them; if not, SBA will offer some for sale. There are a limited number of openings for each session so register early. If you have a hammer or other tools, which you like, you may bring them. Register early to reserve your place in the classes. Children are welcome in most classes but must be accompanied by an adult for help and supervision. Some of the classes require the use of sharp objects and manual dexterity.
Patty Draper - Forge welding
Do not miss this class. Patty has shared her knowledge and patience with many blacksmiths. She has taught the very basic how to build a fire class that even experts find helpful. This is a great opportunity to learn the basics and a few tricks on forge welding. Learn to do a variety of different forge welds. This class fills up quick. Students must have forging experience! Material fees are $10.
Ron Childers - Rail Road Spike Creations
Students must have forging experience. Ron will demo a Celtic cross, a heart, a tomahawk, a knife and a snake in various stages of completion using free, recycled material and rudimentary tools. (No electric tools or equipment). Students then have a choice of two items. They will use several techniques including drawing out, punching, drifting, slitting, up setting, twisting, scrolling, texturing and hot filing, etc. $10 material fee
FAMILY PROGRAM
The conference has invited crafts instructors to hold classes in a variety of skills for any member of the family. The fee for each class
will be $15 to $20 per student per 4-hour session A description of courses may be found on page six (6). Mark the classes you wish to
take on the schedule of the Family Program on page 10.
Note: Space is limited in the Blacksmithing Classes and the Family Program Classes. Early registration is recommended to
help ensure a place in the classes you desire.
TOOLBOXES
Two toolboxes will be offered for auction or drawing by both Ocmulgee and AFC.
Your contributions are welcome.
Check out the website to see what tools are needed to complete the boxes. Don't forget to stamp your
contributed tool so that the lucky winner can appreciate your effort.
BLACKSMITHING CONTEST
FAMILY PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
Judy Chavers - Baskets
Judy says she should have been born 100 earlier but we are so proud that she is around now and loves to share her talents.
Judy has learned basket making, broom tying, drop spindle spinning but her main hobby is spinning.
She has taught classes for University of Florida Bay County Extension. She and Tommy are like many of us, who belong to several organizations such as FABA and AFC. Toothbrush rugs are an old time technique made with an adapted modern tool. $12 material fee
Mitz Bazzell - 3 Stained glass art project
20 years ago a stained glass class started a large repertoire of artistic skills including pottery and spot welding.
She has shown her school of fish and yard art at other shows as well as private showings such as Home Depot Headquarters and Gilmer Art & Heritage Association. She has taught stained glass classes at the Florida Artist Blacksmith Association Conferences and William Holland School of Lapidary Art in Young Harris, Georgia.
Teaching yard art is a big hit with the Garden Clubs.
Stained Glass Project
