From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Hanford Mills Museum will present the Saw It! Festival, featuring demonstrations of traditional pit sawing, horse-drawn logging, hand hewing, timber frame building and woodworking. This family-friendly event will also feature traditional music by John Potocnik and Carol Mandigo, performing as Banshee; wildlife shows with the Wildlife Learning Co. at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; a forest walk through the mill's 70-acre site at 3 p.m.; wagon rides; and crafts for children.
Adults and children can also try a variety of traditional hands-on activities, including cross-cut sawing and nailing races, and families can work together to make wood sculptures and buzz saw toys. Lunch from Eagle Ridge Barbecue will be available to purchase, or visitors may picnic alongside the mill pond.
The museum's historic water-powered 1926 "Mighty Fitz" circular sawmill and modern, gasoline-powered portable sawmill will be in operation. At the box shop, mill workers will use the vintage woodworking machines to turn mill-sawn lumber into wood products such as boxes, crates and tub covers. The museum also will fire up the steam boiler for the debut of the newly restored Swift horizontal steam engine.
Admission is $8.50 for those ages 13 to 64. Senior citizen admission is $5. Children ages 12 and younger are admitted free, as are museum members and local residents. AAA and military discounts are available. Residents of Meredith, West Meredith, Kortright, Bloomville, North Kortright, Harpersfield, Davenport and Shackport (zip codes 13757, 13739, 13786, 13750 or 13806) are asked to bring identification to receive free admission to Hanford Mills Museum. This policy will be in place throughout the season.
The museum is listed on the national and New York state registers of historic places. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, and on holiday Mondays, through Oct. 15. It is located at the intersection of county routes 10 and 12 in East Meredith.
For information or directions, visit www.hanfordmills.org or call (800) 295-4992.
