A few minutes of a blacksmith's time made my daughter's day a couple of years ago.
It was Memorial Day weekend, and she was 5 years old. We were visiting family in northern Vermont, and we decided to venture out to see whose studios were open during the annual Open Studio Weekend. We stumbled upon a blacksmith in Huntington (my apologies, I've forgotten his name).
We watched in awe as he stoked his fire, put irons in it until they glowed and then hammered them into a clothes hook. Then he looked at my daughter, smiled and went to work on something else. In a few minutes he had finished a fish, which he set aside to cool and then gave her. The smile on her face was his reward, and she kept the fish as a kind of talisman for some time afterward.
That is the kind of experience possible at the Open Studio Weekend, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this Saturday and Sunday. Studios all across the state, including dozens in our area are open to the public. For information, visit www.vermontcrafts.com or call 802-223-3380.