FLORA — The Flora School Days Event “is a giant classroom,” said Nathan Thompson, blacksmith and chairman of Flora School Days.

For more than 20 years, on the third Saturday in June on a mountain top, quite a ways from the nearest towns, skilled folk/pioneer craft persons demonstrate and teach what our ancestors considered everyday activities.

The blacksmith competition starts Saturday, June 15 at 7 a.m., and the other activities begin at 9 a.m.

Fun, food and folk art

This year’s event — and annual fundraiser — guarantees to be a day packed with fun, food and opportunities to learn and create folk art. Many items, such as handmade quilts and homemade pies will be available for auction. Learn to build stilts, make your own rope and tie useful knots, grind grain into flour, shoe a horse, cook using traditional methods and more.

Skilled craftspeople will demonstrate their art. The focus is to educate, but their passion is to share their knowledge and inspire others to dive deeper and learn more. Their goal is to preserve cultural traditions and promise it will be fun and entertaining.

Other activities include a tour through historic Flora on a “Johnny Popper” tractor, old-time music, a pie social room, a country store, story time in the library, car and tractor show, an auction, a Dutch oven prepared chicken lunch and more.

Restoration and accessibility

The primary focus of the school board is to preserve, restore and enhance the old Flora School building. Current projects include making the building accessible. A wheelchair ramp is being installed and will be historically appropriate in design and material. An elevator will be installed to provide access to the second floor.

Mission of Flora School

From 1915 to 1977, the mission of the Flora School was to educate the children of the community and surrounding area.

The school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, after Vanessa Thew Thompson submitted an application. Now its mission is to “provide a window into the past where current and future generations may learn by participating in western and folk art training.”

Blacksmith competition

The traditional blacksmith competition is a School Days highlight. Watch modern day blacksmiths use traditional techniques to create the best historic gate hinge starting at 7 a.m. when the forges are fired and the hammers hit the anvils. Winners will be announced at the end of the day.

Schedule of events

A complete schedule of events can be found at floraschool.org/school-days-schedule. To learn more about this event and the Flora School Education Center or to make a donation, visit floraschool.org or call 541-828-7010.