"Make June a Special Month and join us at the Villages Folk School"

     The Villages Folk School offered a Student Appreciation Day for 200 Clark County students on Friday, June 4th in Bentonsport. Seven artist instructors gave presentations in blacksmithing, pottery, weaving, Native American living, the tale of Bubba the ox, Indian artifacts, and tour of the Mason House. Debra Herrick taught a class in Greeting Card Variations on Sunday in Bonaparte . We continue to see students from outside our county. This is great for our local businesses, as these people often frequent our restaurants for meals and shop in the local stores.

     Coming up on June 12th and 13th is a popular class in Beginning Blacksmithing. The two day event will once again be held at the Forge and Anvil Academy in Bentonsport. It is always a thrill to watch Bill Printy and Mark Heisdorffer teach the art of working iron into usable everyday items. If you have ever thought about trying your hand at blacksmithing, then this is the class for you. Great hands-on instruction from start to finish by highly skilled blacksmiths. Bill Printy has been in the blacksmith trade for over 35 years and Mark has been working as an apprentice with him since 1997. Together they make the learning experience a process that starts you on your way to a fulfilling hobby in blacksmithing. You might want to continue on with future classes and work to develop more skills in the trade. There is no limit to what can be achieved with the right training and desire.

     Adam Whitlatch is a writer offering a “Creative Writing-Intro to Publishing” class in June that will teach you the basics of writing short stories and poetry with an emphasis on preparing work for publishing. We welcome Adam to the Villages Folk School and look forward to seeing his students excel in their writing skills. At the end of the year, all students’ short stories will be collected, edited, and published in a special edition “Villages Folk School” print anthology.

     Maybe you have a desire to create beautiful sculptures. I feel challenged just manipulating the Play Dough with my grandchildren, but when I see the work that is created by Chris Bennett in his studio I understand the difference between playing and a true artist. Chris’s work will inspire you to create and his class “Sculpture Portrait in Three Dimension” being held in June will help you to build the proper skills needed to begin your creative journey in sculpturing. Chris is a working sculptor and offers these classes on a limited basis, so don’t miss this opportunity!

     Whatever you choose to be creative with, the Villages Folk School will be a launching pad for you journey. We invite you to join us for one of our exciting classes. Call today and register with our folk school office at 319-592-3700. Check out our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com and see for yourself the many classes we offer. Now is as good a time as any to call and register. Treat yourself to a fun filled weekend at the Villages Folk School.!