Historic crafts, country food and music at Mountain Craft Days
SOMERSET ― The tradition of bringing historic crafts, country food and music in an outdoor setting to visitors that Mountain Craft Days is known for began in 1970.
And that tradition will continue as the 2023 Mountain Craft Days kicks off Sept. 8, 9 and 10, at the Somerset Historical Center, 10649 Somerset Pike, Somerset. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Mountain Craft Days' foundation is to promote preserve, demonstrate and enhance the public appreciation and enjoyment of the historic crafts heritage of Somerset County. It has become successful because of the quality and variety of its traditional crafts, country food, music and children's activities.
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"This is not just a craft show," said Mark Ware, executive director of the Somerset Historical Center. "The craftsmen have adapted home crafts that can be used in the home today."
For example, he said potters don't make platters as much as they make mugs. Blacksmiths make more decorative pieces rather than functional and some weavers use alpaca wool which is a finer, softer fiber in their pieces.
There is something for all ages and all levels of interest in history and crafts.
More than 125 craft booths and 12 outdoor performance sites on the center's grounds offer visitors a variety of demonstrations, music and food. The traditional artisans ply their trades using wood, iron, fabric, glass, paper and other materials.
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Crafts highlight everyday living, are made from natural materials, and are unique one-of-a-kind. The Mountain Craft Days' grounds are full of coopers, spinners, dyers, weavers, butter churners, ginger-cake bakers, log hewers and stone masons for example.
Ware said a special paper-making and printing craftsman will center the program around Frederick Goeb, master printer, reproducing the printing press that he would have used. Goeb made the first German Bible printed west of the Allegheny Mountains in 1813 in Somerset.
Ware said the log hewers will be making a timber frame for the porch of the Pennsylvania Maple Museum, which is under construction.
"You don't hear music from the entertainers piped over loudspeakers because they traditionally didn't have amplification," Ware said.
Foods are also traditional. They include potpies, apple dumplings and corn on the cob cooked in a kettle over an open fire. Fried mush, potatoes, sausage and ham potpie are some of the most popular traditional foods found at the Mountain Craft Days, Ware said.
Mountain Craft Days is held rain or shine. There is free on-site parking. In the event of inclement weather, free shuttles will be provided. Follow signs to offsite hard-lot parking. www.somersethistoricalcenter.org.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Historic crafts, country food and music at Mountain Craft Days
