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Celebration reaches 10th year
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DANVILLE — For its 10th year, the Iron Heritage Festival is sticking with what has made it so popular: Entertainment and education.
Historical displays, lively entertainers, parades and fireworks are on this year’s schedule for the festival, which begins today and continues through Sunday.
It’s something that has worked since Day 1, said Helen “Sis” Hause, one of the driving forces behind the festival, and this year’s chairwoman.
“A few local historians were trying to think of a festival for Danville and came to the conclusion that we should be celebrating our claim to fame, the rolling of the first iron T-Rail on Oct. 8, 1845, and the major iron industry that followed,” Hause said.
Danville’s history with iron is obviously a big part of the festival.
“We focus the event on much of the iron industry, staring with a mine hike led by a few of our knowledgeable historians on the mining of the iron ore,” Hause said. “That has always been popular, and we also have one remaining iron furnace and its owner, whose ancestors built it, explains the smelting process in character.”
The festival kicked off this past Sunday with the Fireman’s Muster competition. Things get rolling for the main weekend of events with today’s Heritage Classic Golf event, where participants play a three-hole round of golf with equipment of old.
Thursday, one of the festival’s most popular events hits the downtown: the parade.
“This year’s parade is focused on our volunteer fire departments and the grand marshals will be the oldest members of each fire department,” Hause said.
Leading the parade will be the Washington, D.C. Fire Company Band, an all-active firefighter bagpipe band that is one of the most renowned in the country.
Also appearing will be the Reilly Raiders, a drum and bugle corps from Willow Grove, marching in period costume.
Concerts and quoits
Following the parade, visitors can take in a polka party, hosted by the Stanky and the Coal Miners band, in the parking lot of Cole’s Hardware.
A number of activities are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“We are going to have lectures on railroads, the Molly Maguires, the founder of Danville, William Montgomery and a morning nondenominational service with beautiful music at the chapel of St. Cyril Basilica,” Hause said, rattling off some of the highlights. “There are two stages of free music, artisans, great food, train rides to Bloomsburg and Northumberland, an afternoon tea at a mansion built by an iron baron, a quoits tournament and a 5K run along a historical trail.”
Some of the newer events for this year’s festival include a fiddling contest at the Danville Middle School, with a $500 first prize; a program entitled “Fire in the Hole;” and a special hike with Van Wagner through Powder Mill Hollow, where the local historian will discuss how black powder was made — complete with, if conditions are right, a demonstration blast.
Balloon rides
Also new this year will be tethered balloon rides at FQ Hartman Field from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, weather permitting, and a baseball game between the re-enactors of the New York Mutuals baseball team and a team of local players on Sunday. They’ll recreate a game played in Danville in the 1850s.
Where do ballooning and baseball fit into the history of iron and Danville, Hause believes ballooning and baseball fit into the history of iron ore in Danville through the old adage that starts, “All work and no play. ...”
“Every event that we have must relate in some way to our history of that time period we celebrate during the festival,” she said. “Even though our ironmen worked hard, they also found time to enjoy life. As far as the balloon goes, John Wise, the early balloonist, actually left Danville in his hot air balloon on two occasions in 1841.”
Fireworks end Saturday’s events at 10 p.m. and Sunday will feature vintage church services at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Pine Street Evangelical Lutheran Church. Also on Sunday is the annual fly-in at the Danville-Riverside Airport and a hymn sing at 6:30 p.m. at Water Street Park.
On the Net: www.ironheritagefestival.net.
Historical displays, lively entertainers, parades and fireworks are on this year’s schedule for the festival, which begins today and continues through Sunday.
It’s something that has worked since Day 1, said Helen “Sis” Hause, one of the driving forces behind the festival, and this year’s chairwoman.
“A few local historians were trying to think of a festival for Danville and came to the conclusion that we should be celebrating our claim to fame, the rolling of the first iron T-Rail on Oct. 8, 1845, and the major iron industry that followed,” Hause said.
Danville’s history with iron is obviously a big part of the festival.
“We focus the event on much of the iron industry, staring with a mine hike led by a few of our knowledgeable historians on the mining of the iron ore,” Hause said. “That has always been popular, and we also have one remaining iron furnace and its owner, whose ancestors built it, explains the smelting process in character.”
The festival kicked off this past Sunday with the Fireman’s Muster competition. Things get rolling for the main weekend of events with today’s Heritage Classic Golf event, where participants play a three-hole round of golf with equipment of old.
Thursday, one of the festival’s most popular events hits the downtown: the parade.
“This year’s parade is focused on our volunteer fire departments and the grand marshals will be the oldest members of each fire department,” Hause said.
Leading the parade will be the Washington, D.C. Fire Company Band, an all-active firefighter bagpipe band that is one of the most renowned in the country.
Also appearing will be the Reilly Raiders, a drum and bugle corps from Willow Grove, marching in period costume.
Concerts and quoits
Following the parade, visitors can take in a polka party, hosted by the Stanky and the Coal Miners band, in the parking lot of Cole’s Hardware.
A number of activities are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“We are going to have lectures on railroads, the Molly Maguires, the founder of Danville, William Montgomery and a morning nondenominational service with beautiful music at the chapel of St. Cyril Basilica,” Hause said, rattling off some of the highlights. “There are two stages of free music, artisans, great food, train rides to Bloomsburg and Northumberland, an afternoon tea at a mansion built by an iron baron, a quoits tournament and a 5K run along a historical trail.”
Some of the newer events for this year’s festival include a fiddling contest at the Danville Middle School, with a $500 first prize; a program entitled “Fire in the Hole;” and a special hike with Van Wagner through Powder Mill Hollow, where the local historian will discuss how black powder was made — complete with, if conditions are right, a demonstration blast.
Balloon rides
Also new this year will be tethered balloon rides at FQ Hartman Field from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, weather permitting, and a baseball game between the re-enactors of the New York Mutuals baseball team and a team of local players on Sunday. They’ll recreate a game played in Danville in the 1850s.
Where do ballooning and baseball fit into the history of iron and Danville, Hause believes ballooning and baseball fit into the history of iron ore in Danville through the old adage that starts, “All work and no play. ...”
“Every event that we have must relate in some way to our history of that time period we celebrate during the festival,” she said. “Even though our ironmen worked hard, they also found time to enjoy life. As far as the balloon goes, John Wise, the early balloonist, actually left Danville in his hot air balloon on two occasions in 1841.”
Fireworks end Saturday’s events at 10 p.m. and Sunday will feature vintage church services at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Pine Street Evangelical Lutheran Church. Also on Sunday is the annual fly-in at the Danville-Riverside Airport and a hymn sing at 6:30 p.m. at Water Street Park.
On the Net: www.ironheritagefestival.net.
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| The schedule of events for the 2008 Iron Heritage Festival |