stevenbunn Wed, 10/04/2017 - 07:02

At the Common Ground Country Fair 2017

 
Ken Kortemeier (in striped shirt with his back to the camera) teaching a class how to whittle a tree branch into a decorative coat hook
 
I spent three days at the Common Ground Country Fair, where I demonstrated Windsor chairmaking. This was my twenty-second year at the fair. I have brought my pole lathe for around twenty years. If you squint and look in the background of the upper left in this picture you will catch a glimpse of the pole lathe.
 
This year I was joined by Ken and Angela Kortemeier and their students from the Maine Coast Craft School. They demonstrated a wide range of crafts taught at the school. Some of the crafts demonstrated included spoon carving, bowl making, and Welsh style Windsor chairmaking. One of the schools instructors, Nate Chambers spent the weekend turning bowls on his treadle lathe, which can be seen in the background. Look for the large blue colored frame. Nate was aided by Oliver, another of the school's students. They spelled each other every so often. Their demonstration of spring pole lathe use was a real hit.
 
Readers wanting more information about the Maine Coast Craft School can write them at 260 Old County Road, Bristol, ME 04539, or visit their website at www,mainecoastcraft.com.
 
In the very background I can decern my hat and Anu's pink sweat shirt. We are having a well deserved mead tasting break. At last year's fair Anu', the coordinator for the crafts area of the fairs, promised that she would bring me some of her home-brewed mead wine. She more than kept her promise, showing up every afternoon with a new bottle of mead. Forewarned, I brought a bottle opener and several wine glasses along. The wine provided a break from talking with the crowd. There were over twenty thousand people in attendence Saturday, and I felt like I spoke to everyone of them.
 
Thank yous go out to Angela Kortemeier for her photos. All of us were going full tilt all weekend and only Angela had the foresight to snap some photographs.
 
I am already looking forward to next year's fair.
 
Thanks for dropping by. STB