10th Annual Festival of Wood at Historic Grey Towers Saturday, August 2, 2014, 10am – 5pm Grey Towers National Historic Landmark Behind Apple Valley Village Milford, PA Free Music, Unique Wood Crafts, Family Fun planned for Grey Towers Tenth Annual Festival of Wood “Goods From The Woods” is the focus of the tenth annual Festival of Wood at Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, PA on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3. This family-friendly and free event offers a variety of activities that demonstrate the many ways we use and enjoy wood in our everyday lives. Unique wood crafts, children’s activities with wood, chainsaw carvings, educational exhibits, live woodland wildlife, beekeeping, stilt walkers, tree pruning and portable sawmill demonstrations, music created with wood instruments, forest hikes and much, much more will be offered on the grounds of the historic estate throughout the weekend. All are offered for free by the US Forest Service, with support from the Grey Towers Heritage Association, the Pocono Arts Council and numerous partners, participants and collaborators. New this year is an opportunity to view the exciting traveling exhibition, Bartram’s Boxes Remix, an artistic initiative of the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia, PA. The Center invited artists to a unique opportunity to “remix” the history, inspirations and materials from one of America’s oldest gardens into sculptural objects and installations. The 1886 Grey Towers mansion will be open for self-guided tours ($5 per person) throughout the weekend. • Craftsmen and artists from throughout the region will exhibit, sell and demonstrate their crafts, all made from wood. Co-sponsored by the Pocono Arts Council, the crafts component illustrates how beautiful objects that we use in our everyday lives are created from wood. • Children’s activities include games and toys using wood and other craft activities. Visits from Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl also are planned. • Educational exhibits and informational handouts on such topics as beekeeping, Chestnut trees, regional conservation initiatives, will be ongoing throughout the weekend. • Bartram’s Boxes Remix is a collaborative project between The Center and Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia (home of famed 18th-century explorer and botanist John Bartram). The title of this project, Bartram’s Boxes Remix, references the boxes containing seeds, plants, and curiosities that John Bartram began sending to his colleagues in England in 1735, making Bartram’s Garden an international hub of plant knowledge and sharing. In the spirit of John Bartram’s desire to share his passion for trees and other plants, artists from around the world created works in wood and other materials, inspired by 13 types of wood felled at Bartram’s Garden during a huge wind and rain storm. This exhibition celebrates John Bartram’s legacy of discovery and provided artists a unique opportunity to “remix” the history, materials and inspiration of one of America’s oldest gardens in their work. • Free music with wood instruments will be provided each day. Check the program to learn who is performing and where you can locate them on the estate. • Demonstrations on tree pruning and a portable sawmill are planned. • A free wildlife show is planned for each day. • Chain Saw Chix will demonstrate chain saw carving three times a day, each day. • The PA Woodmobile will be parked on site for visitors to walk through and learn about all the ways we use wood in our everyday lives. • A forest hike at the nearby Milford Experimental Forest is planned. • Free shuttles from the parking areas are provided; free parking. A variety of refreshments will be available. The tenth annual Festival of Wood is “a celebration of our natural and cultural heritage of wood.” The activities, exhibits and programs are intended to heighten awareness of the many uses of wood in our everyday lives. The US Forest Service and numerous partners are hosting the event at Grey Towers, ancestral home of Gifford Pinchot, who founded and served as first chief of the Forest Service from 1905-1910. The Festival hours are 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday August 2 and 10 am to 4 pm Sunday August 3. For a schedule of events or more information, call (570)296-9630 or email us at [email protected]. A schedule of the Festival activities can be downloaded at greytowers.org.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 17:25:26 +0000