October 27th, 2013 will feature programming on The Blacksmith Trade at the Glidden Homestead in DeKalb, from noon-4 p.m. There will be a presentation at 1:00 p.m., “The Blacksmith Trade Yesterday and Today” by Glidden Homestead head blacksmith Lucio Bortolin. Admission to the public is free as part of the annual Big Read celebration, sponsored by DeKalb Public Library.
DeKalb Public Library is once again part of the nationwide program called The Big Read held in October. This year’s book is True Grit. As a part of The Big Read program, Blacksmithing demonstrations will be given all afternoon in the Phineas Vaughan Blacksmith Shop at Glidden Homestead, and tours of the Homestead will be given.
Blacksmith Bortolin is a charter member of the Glidden Homestead Blacksmith Club and is serving his first term on the board of directors. A talented metalworker, he designed the Homestead’s scrolled, iron sign frame and lead the team that crafted it. Bortolin is owner of f2 Industries, Inc. in Sycamore, a manufacturer of architectural and ornamental metal works as well as metal restorations. He has lived in the U.S. since 1991 and in Sycamore since 2000 after having lived in Italy, Argentina, and Brazil. Besides his active participation in the Homestead’s Blacksmith Club, he is a member of the Sycamore Library Photo Club.
The Blacksmith Trade is among other programs held throughout the year to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Glidden’s birth.
The Homestead is the site where Joseph Glidden invented and manufactured “The Winner” barbed wire, for which he received a patent on Nov. 24, 1874. The house and barn built in the 1860s still stand on their original site. Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Sites
Everyone is encouraged to visit the Glidden Homestead this season at 921 W. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb, between Copy Service and Burger King. The Homestead is open for tours on Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and also the second and fourth Sundays each month through October, noon-4 p.m., with special events in November.
General admission is $4 for ages 14 and older; under age 14, free; however, DKPL’s sponsorship has allowed for free admission on October 27. Glidden Homestead members are admitted free, with a variety of membership levels available. Memberships play a key role in the not-for-profit organization’s preservation efforts.
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