"A 'Clean Sweep' weekend for the Villages Folk School"

     The drive up the Des Moines River valley is always a peaceful one filled with beautiful scenery. Today I would set off for J40 and Bloom & Bark; the home of Tim and Kim Blair. This was the weekend for the J40 Farm Crawl which included two of the artist instructors from the folk school. George and Pat Crawford were demonstrating the art of making brooms. I watched as they bundled the straw, bound it tightly and then cut it to the desired length.


Once that was accomplished the straw was clamped in an antique wooden apparatus that held everything in place while George carefully stitched it together. This was then bound to the desired handle and the broom was ready for its intended purpose. The process was very interesting and the end result was a broom that would make a clean sweep of whatever it was applied to.

     Chris Campbell and Karen Bevard were telling about the history of the Native Americans on the plains. There tent included many handmade leather and bead work items that were available for sale. Many of the items were made by Chris and Karen who give classes in both leather and bead work.

     In the village of Bentonsport the Iron and Lace blacksmith shop was fired-up and heating some iron for the forge welding class. The purpose of this class was to teach the students how to weld two pieces of iron together by using the forge and the anvil. A very careful balance was needed both in the temperature of the iron and the hammering process on the anvil. I watched as Bill Printy and Mark Heisdorffer instructed the students and demonstrated each process and technique.

Someday I would like to take that class. It is always a thrill to watch our artists at work. Their passion for the art they teach is always evident and never fails to be a catalyst for an exciting class.

      Across the county in Stockport Carolyn Edwards was teaching the art of painting “barn quilts”. One of her students from Fairfield was thrilled with the class and he commented on how well the information was shared. He found her enthusiasm to be infectious and a dynamic that made the class very exciting. He and his wife are planning to register for some other classes here at the folk school. We are always encouraged when we hear these reports from our students. It is the fuel that keeps us going. Come join in and enjoy the fun at the folk school. There is certainly a class that will grab your attention and fulfill a desire that you have held onto for years. Take that first step and register today. We look forward to getting to know you and your family.

     The Villages Folk School board continues to reach out to Van Buren County and to the surrounding counties and states with the hope that our school will offer people a chance to experience the beauty of our county and the peace and tranquility of our lifestyle. We were thrilled to have Van Buren County selected as an Iowa Great Place and now have been successful in our first round of grant monies for our county. We have received $50,000 for the Cantril ADA cabin project and $44,836 for the Morris Park project in Stockport. We continue to work to improve our county and to bring revenues from outside that will help to boost our struggling economy. We invite you to help us as we continue to build the folk school into a premier school in the Midwest. Our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com will give you more information about our school and our classes. We encourage you to register for our many classes and also to be a part of our endeavor by becoming a Villages Folk School Donor. The information is provided for you on the website. Call us today at 319-592-3700.