Frontier Village & Museum, the collection of pioneer-era homes and cabins at Loy Lake Park, has two hands-on programs on its fall calendar for people who want more than a walk past the buildings.
Learning at the forge
The first is Beginner Blacksmithing, a two-hour class taught by Steven Mildward of Black Dog's Foundry. It is set for Saturday, Oct. 17, with one more session listed for Saturday, Nov. 21.
According to the museum's announcement, students start with how a forge works, basic techniques and safety, then move to working hot metal themselves using methods blacksmiths relied on in the 1800s. No experience is required.
The museum says it keeps the class small so each student gets enough instruction and time at the forge, that it is one of its most requested programs and that earlier sessions have filled quickly. An RSVP is required, and anyone under 18 must come with a parent or guardian. Reservations go through info@frontiervillagemuseum.org. The announcement does not list a fee or start time.
A night in the old houses
On Friday, Oct. 30, the museum is opening five of its historic buildings after dark for a ghost investigation led by paranormal groups. The museum's event page lists them as the Davis-Ansley Log Cabin, dated 1839; the 1842 Thompson House; the Bullock-Bass House from 1850; the Hendricks House, 1863; and the Fitzgerald House, built in 1866.
Participants will join four teams, Halfway Haunted LLC, Texas BOO Crew, MF Paranormal and Paranormal INC, learning their methods and trying their equipment, the page says. Groups leave every 30 minutes from 7 p.m. to midnight, and the event is limited to ages 16 and older. Tickets are sold online in advance by departure time, and the museum warns that space is limited.
