Discovery Park of America will mark David Crockett’s 236th birthday on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022 with interactive activities, live demonstrations and the opening of a new blacksmith’s forge at the heritage park’s turn-of-the-twentieth century town reproduction, Mill Ridge

The new forge is the result of a partnership between Discovery Park and the Tennessee River Artist Blacksmith Association (TRABA), an organization that offers various opportunities for the public to learn about blacksmithing. Demonstrations of the new forge at Discovery Park will take place periodically throughout the year and will provide an opportunity for guests to experience blacksmiths using the forge to create various projects from start to finish.

In addition to TRABA demonstrating the new forge, other activities during the celebration of Crockett’s birthday include:

• Performances by Mulberry Jam, a five-piece band that plays period songs of the past with traditional instruments and arrangements of the string dance performers of the 19th and early 20th centuries
• J.C. Stahlman’s The Living Historians
• Native American skills, crafts and cooking education with homemade fry bread available for purchase
• Operation of the Brewer-Austin Gristmill
• Birds of Prey program presented by Reelfoot Lake State Park
• The Family Community Education Crystal Club of the UT/TSU Extension Program demonstrating textile arts and sewing
• Demonstrations by the Reelfoot Area Flintnappers
• Presentations on 1800s natural medical practices
• Presentations on wildlife of West Tennessee during Crockett’s time in the region
• Demonstrations of traditional skills and crafts including candle and soap making and spinning and weaving
• Birthday cupcakes at Sabin’s Café

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