Hammer In
Celebrating our 10th Anniversary!
Free and Family-Friendly
Saturday, October 11, 2025
10 AM to 3 PM
Free parking available off of Kentucky Street in WKU parking lots. Follow the Hammer In Parking Signs. For GPS directions, use our street address: 1444 Kentucky Street, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Special events this year include:
- "Sounds of the Forge," a musical performance by Dr. Liza Kelly and the WKU Treblemakers and Redshirts featuring historical songs about blacksmithing or inspired by sounds heard in blacksmithing shops.
- Equal Temperament, a national juried metalworking exhibition featuring 50 works by artists across the nation. An awards ceremony will take place at noon on October 11.
Join us at the Kentucky Museum for a free community event celebrating the metal workers' trade, including:
- Forge demonstrations.
- Tinsmithing demonstrations.
- Aluminum Pour demonstration and make-your-own pour.
- Basic Forge Skills Demonstrations.
- Opportunity to meet metalworkers and artisans, shop/commission, and discover Southcentral Kentucky's rich artisan community.
- Opportunity to learn about joining metal working associations and getting started in the trade.
- Learn about the Kentucky Forge Council and become a member.
- Kentucky Folklife Program Narrative Stage, including an interview with our Featured Blacksmiths.
- Big T's Bar-B-Cue food truck on site.
Click on the arrows below to view activities.
Hammer In Kickoff 10AM
Featured Demonstrator presentation (TBA)
Museum Lot
- KFC Member demonstrations
- Artisan booths
- KFC informational booth
Felts House Lawn
- Tinsmith demonstrations
- Basic Blacksmithing Skills demonstrations
Circle Drive - Aluminum Pour
Museum open to public
Awards Ceremony for Equal Temperament
Featured Demonstrator: To Be Announced
Demonstrators
Kentucky Forge Council
The Kentucky Forge Council is a community organization dedicated to preservation of the craft of blacksmithing through hands-on education. The council meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Kentucky Museum. The group and its meetings are open to the public. Find out more on their Facebook page.
Members include Charles Hurst (owner of Lick Skillet Lab), Travis Hutchins (owner of Fat Man's Anvil), Richard Harris, and many others.
Eleanor Davidson
Eleanor Davidson is an artist and fabricator based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Her work is inspired by nature, folklore, and family history. She is a current member of the Kentucky Forge Council and the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths.
Randy Hulsey, Jennings Creek Tin Shoppe
Randy began his apprenticeship under Tinsmith Bill Lawrence "Uncle Billy". He studied with him for three years before establishing his own shop. Randy is a juried member of the Kentucky Craft Market program, He uses 18c forming stake tools while specializing in 18th & 19th Century reproduction tinware and living history demonstrations.
Greg Knight
Greg has had a lifelong interest in Blacksmithing and took that interest to the next level in 2016 during the first Kentucky Museum Hammer-In. Greg enjoys teaching decorative metal and working with the next generation of blacksmiths.
Daniel Nagel
A metallurgist by day, Daniel Nagel is a blacksmith hobbyist. He will be demonstrating how to turn steel discs into metal roses. In collaboration with his wife, Cassie, they made over 100 metal roses for their wedding in 2023.
Chris Radus
A Pittsburgh native resides and has his forge in Bowling Green where he makes art out of recycled metal and wood. Radus' metal working roots go back to his grandfather who was a professional blacksmith in the old country (Hungary).
John Zeh
A metallurgist engineer for over 20 years, John Zeh will be demonstrating Frederick's Crosses - tiny crucifixes wiht a hole in the center.
Cassie Rebman and the WKU League of Sculptors
The League of Sculptors is a WKU student organization intent on sharing and supporting sculpture. They are engaged in showing student work and participating in sculpture organizations and conferences on a local, regional and international level.
The organization is led by Cassie Rebman, Instructor and Studio Technician at WKU. Rebman holds an Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Fort Hays State University and has won numerous awards in sculpture. Before joining WKU, she apprenticed at the National Ornamental Metal Museum (Memphis, TN), Franconia Sculpture Park (Shafer, MN), and Ironhead Sculptural Services, LLC.
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