The EAIA Eastfield Historic Trades Sampler will be held on Thursday, July 27th through Sunday, July 30, 2017, at Historic Eastfield Village, in East Nassau, New York. The Eastfield Historic Trades Sampler offers a sampling of trades with an opportunity to learn about them while completing a small project related to the craft. The program includes making domed wooden boxes; carving fish decoys; crafting iron utensils in the blacksmith shop; decorative painting ; molding, painting and firing 19th century pearl ware plates in the pottery; rigging with pulleys, levers and gin pole to move heavy objects; and black power shooting. Each project is led by an experienced tradesman.
This year our instructors include Billy McMillen, domed boxes, decorative painting & black powder shooting; Bill Rainford, rigging & engineering; Scott Penpraze, ceramics & pottery; Olof Janssen, blacksmithing; and Joseph Brien, fish decoy making.
Each day begins at 9 A.M. with classes running until noon when lunch is served in the Yellow Tavern, at 1 P.M., the afternoon sessions resume. The workshops end around 5 P.M. The group generally goes together to a local restaurant for dinner at their own expense. The evenings are accented by traditional drinks, games of dominoes, and lively discussions of history, and perhaps some music at candle lit gatherings in the Briggs Tavern in front of a cozy fireplace.
Eastfield Village is not a museum open to the public. Its creator, Donald Carpentier, assembled the twenty or so buildings and the thousands of architectural elements, tools and artifacts specifically to serve as a study collection; the Village itself is an educational tool. Combine this unique preservation laboratory with gifted instructors who are eager to share their expertise and the result is a level of detail and depth to the program that only Eastfield can offer.
Students are welcome to stay without cost in several of these buildings which have been restored to their 18th and 19th century appearance, but they must bring their own bedding & 10 ten inch white candles. The experience is unique and immersive in that the buildings function as they did when they were new, so lighting is with candles; beds have rope supports, and straw & feather ticks; and out houses serve their original function. For those who rather have modern conveniences there are hotels, B & B’s, and other accommodations nearby. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend this year; the dates are Thursday, July 27th, through Sunday, July 30, 2017. Registration information and a full schedule are available on our Web site.
Seating is limited so classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $485 for the four days and includes the daily workshops, morning coffee, & lunches. Some of the workshops will have a modest materials fee. Follow this link to register.