History meets modern day at the Hammer In

BOWLING GREEN, Ky-Saturday was a step back in time at the Kentucky Museum on Western Kentucky University’s campus.

The annual Hammer-In took place on the grounds outside the museum and featured blacksmiths forging articles out of hot metal as well as tinsmith demonstrations and hot aluminum pours. There were also sculptors crafting wood using different types of saws.

Brent Bjorkman, director of the Kentucky Museum and organizer of the Hammer In said the event was a chance to see how things were made before technology advanced into what we know today. It might be tempting to think modern forging does not exist, but according to Bjorkman, it has now evolved into a form of art giving the artist a chance to manually work with raw materials and create something out of them.

Since the Hammer In started, it has grown from 150 visitors the first year to over 600 visitors attending this year. Admission was free and there was a folklore narrative stage and food trucks on hand to serve hot food and cold drinks.