Last weekend, like every other Folk School classes weekend, had me on the road to more exciting classes around the county. Three classes were in full swing so my first stop was the Congregational church in Keosauqua. Jeff Nayadley was teaching music on the hammered dulcimer an instrument dating back into early American history. Learning to play a new instrument is always challenging but having the personal one on one with a seasoned instructor helps to make that journey a more pleasant one. I listened in on the class while I took a few pictures. I have had the pleasure of hearing Jeff play and the melodious music he produces with the hammered dulcimer is pleasing to the ear. My taste in music covers a wide variety of music genre but I find the sounds of this instrument to be perplexingly satisfying. Our student for this class came from Galesburg, Illinois. She enjoyed a stay at the Manning hotel in Keosauqua and ate at several of the local restaurants.
I left the hammered dulcimer class and headed out across the river toward Bentonsport where two more classes were being held. I stopped first at the historic Odd Fellows hall where Betty Printy and her daughter, April, were teaching the art of rug weaving to two ladies who had come for the weekend. I will never ask my wife again, “Why is that rug so expensive?” After visiting the class on Saturday and again on Sunday I found the answer to that question. The making of a rug is not as simple as one may assume; especially when the process is done by hand on a wooden loom. The two ladies attending the class were presented with the first day’s agenda. Pick a pattern layout, choose your color scheme, pick the yarn that you will be using, now load the warp strings to the back of the loom being careful not to cross them over each other. This process took most of the first day. As I was told by Betty, “the first day is the ‘work day’ and the second is the fun day.” I can certainly see why. When I arrived on day two they were obviously into a rhythm as three looms were in full swing producing rugs. Now they had wound the weft around a shuttle that was to be passed through the warp threads in a back and forth pattern. This was all becoming very confusing for me but the ladies were all having a great time so I decided it must have something to do with the Mars and Venus thing between men and women. Do you think that could be? I guess it must be time for me to drive over to the next class.
My last stop for the day was Bill Printy’s beginning blacksmithing class at the Iron and Lace anvil academy. This was going to be the fix for my confusion over weft and warp and whatever else it was those ladies were trying to get through my head. Iron, hammers and fire; just what a guy needs! Bill and his assistant, Mark Heisdorffer, had a full class of four students. The forges were fired up, the iron was hot and the men were forming their work on the anvil. All this action can get your adrenaline going! This wasn’t the first blacksmithing class for me to visit but after a visit with the mother of one of the students I soon found a wonderful human interest story that bears repeating. One of the students was a thirteen year old boy from Minnesota who had come to Bentonsport especially for this class. His mother shared with me that when he read about the class and asked if he could participate she decided to let him register. It was what she told me next that made this student so special and this day such a meaningful one for his mother and for Bill Printy. Just a block west from the Iron and Lace buildings stands a one story historic brick structure that housed the first blacksmith in town and was home to a woodcarver in the mid twentieth century who was instrumental in bringing Bill to Bentonsport to start his blacksmithing trade. That man was none other than the great grandfather to Garrett, the thirteen year old boy who was now heating up the iron and pounding it into shape on the anvil as Bill Printy looked on with great pride. Life often comes full circle and it is wonderful to witness that here in the Villages Folk School.
As we continue to build our school here in Van Buren County it is evident that what has been the ongoing focus for the Villages of Van Buren, that of tourism, is being bolstered by the influx of students to our folk school. This last weekend of classes brought students from Albert Lea, Minnesota; Galesburg, Illinois; Hopkinton, Iowa; Des Moines, Iowa; Hamilton, Illinois; Iowa City, Iowa; and Delphos, Ohio. Those students stayed for the weekend at the Bonaparte Inn, the Hotel Manning, and the Mason House and ate their meals in several restaurants in our county. They went shopping in our many businesses and purchased the gasoline to drive back to their homes. All of that produces income for our business establishments and tax base for our county. Each of them will return home and share the news of this beautiful area and the fun they had in the classes. Many of them will return again and again for future classes and their friends will come with them. We are happy to see the ongoing registrations for our classes and hope to continue to grow over the coming years.
We invite you to join us in this endeavor by becoming a Sponsor of the Villages Folk School at some level. Go to our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com and click on the link to “Become a Sponsor”. Here you will find several levels by which to sponsor us and a “Donate” button that will allow you to use your credit card on a secure Pay Pal window. We hope you can catch the vision with us and help to continue our growth of the Villages Folk School and our support of Van Buren County.
October classes are listed for you on the website but for those without internet access here is a list of those upcoming classes: Bonaparte Pottery Experience, Pulp Play (Paper) & Journal Making, Chair Caning with Flat Reed Splits, Painting the Landscape, Fall Bird Watching, Fried Fiction Workshop, Beginner’s Lightweight Sock Knitting, Natural Dyes in My Backyard, & 7 Step Chair Caning. Call our office today at 319-592-3700 and register for your next exciting class here at the Villages Folk School. We look forward to sharing this wonderful experience of “living the arts” with you.
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