Learn the tricks of these old-fashioned trades
Fascinated by how things were done "back then"? From blacksmithing to broom-making, some classic trades are still in practice. Visitors can not only watch demonstrations of these traditional crafts, but can - in some cases - get their hands involved in making something the old-fashioned way.
BEEHIVE OVEN COOKING
WHAT IT IS Using a hive-shaped outdoor brick oven to fire-bake food. Sound straightforward? Not quite - the heating process alone takes about four hours of work, says Toby Kissam, who mans the Huntington Historical Society's oven. "If you take the fire out too soon and the oven isn't hot enough, you have to start all over," he says.
SEE IT Kissam will demonstrate at the historical society's Apple Festival, noon-4 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Daniel W. Kissam House Museum in Huntington (631-427-7045, huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org).
BLACKSMITHING
WHAT IT IS Surprise - the trade involves much more than creating shoes for horses. Blacksmiths use heat as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit to bend or pound metal into usable objects (tools, decorative iron).
SEE IT Blacksmiths demonstrate 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Old Bethpage Village Restoration ($12 adults, $8 ages 5-12; 516-572-8400, lifair.org).
BROOM-MAKING
WHAT IT IS Weaving stalks of wheat into a handmade broom. Such brooms sold for 25 cents in the mid-1800s - expect to spend $12-$20 today. The good news: It should last about five years, even with daily use.
SEE IT Old Bethpage Village Restoration's resident broommaker Tim Van Wickler (his brother Chris is one of the village blacksmiths) demonstrates the trade noon-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
MILLING GRAIN
WHAT IT IS In the 1700s, wooden mills processed oat, wheat and corn into flour and other products, using a host of grinders and other tools.
SEE IT The Stony Brook Grist Mill (circa 1751) still welcomes visitors for tours of the three-story landmark, where you can see how things used to be done. Tours last 30-45 minutes and cost $2 ($1younger than 12), available noon-4:30 p.m. weekends (631-751-2244, wmho.org).
SPINNING WOOL
WHAT IT IS Turning a big, fluffy bunch of raw sheep's wool into yarn for knitting and crocheting. "The process involves feeding the fiber into a large wooden wheel that spins and stretches it," says Vincent D'Aguanno, co-owner of Rumpelstiltskin Yarns in Sayville. It takes him about a month to make 40 skeins of 150 yards, which retail for $40 each.
SEE IT Drop by the store almost any late afternoon and you're likely to see someone at the wheel. Those who want to learn can take a six-session yarn spinning class for $180 (631-750-1790, rumpelstiltskinyarns.com).
Deepwells Farm Fall Festival
Oct. 9-10, St. James
WHAT Deepwells Farm's Fall Festival
WHEN|WHERE 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 9-10, St. James
INFO 631-862-2020
ADMISSION $5 ($1, 12 and younger)
Deepwells Farm's annual fall festival will have craftsmen demonstrating a host of old-fashioned trades, including blacksmithing, broom-making, Colonial cooking on an open fire, weaving cloth and making pottery. Kids can search for dollar bills buried in a large pile of hay.