Ice Harvest @ Hanford Mills

It's winter, and a cold one at that. Across the country we've been seeing all sorts of ice festivals and even an Ice House in Detroit (icehousedetroit.blogspot.com). But in a small town in New York, the unique historic site of Hanford Mills has an ice festival with a twist--and with a purpose.

Back in the 1800s, rural New Yorkers would cut ice from their local lakes and ponds and store them ice houses to use (or sell) in warmer months for refridgeration. Two weeks ago, over 1,100 people showed up at Hanford Mills to continue the tradition. Using a truly frightening-looking ice saw and other tools, the community harvested the ice from the Mill's pond and then transported it to an on-site ice house, where it will be stored until the Mills use it to make ice cream on the 4th of July. In addition to the harvest, attendees at the event could enjoy ice-fishing, ice sculpture demonstrations, and a delicious buffet of soups provided by over twenty local restaurants. A giant 2,500-lb ox was on-hand and was a big hit with children, as was a modified Model T snowmobile. Visitors could also enjoy sleigh rides of the Mill grounds, a National Register historic site and one of the few water-powered mills in the country still in operation.

The harvest has been an annual tradition since the 1980s. This year's attendance has been one of the biggest showings yet, and is quite impressive given the town of East Meredith has a population of about 1,000. The Harvest is an excellent example of preserving community memory in a way that is not only interactive, but fun and brings together the community. Plus, using the ice for future community events provides a thread of continuity that truly echoes the

historic purpose of the process--in a way that is stil relevant to today. The Executive Director of the Mills, Liz Callahan, says it best in article in The Daily Mail: "We try to connect and celebrate the past and present resources of life in a rural community like ours in tangible and engaging ways for our visitors and the broader community. We have a very rich history and a very unique community. It's important to celebrate this!"

For more information on the Mills, check out their webpage and take a virtual tour at http://www.hanfordmills.org/.

Hidden City

The success of the Hidden City Festival in Philadelphia makes me giddy. In early summer 2009, Peregrine Arts--in concert with a number of local organizations and sponsors--hosted a 5-week festival that highlighted some forgotten historic treasures of Philadelphia. What made the festival particularly interesting was not only public access to locked-down buildings, but using the structures as venues for contemporary art performances and installations. To me, this is the perfect embodiment of a new approach to celebrating history: it's fun; it reaches across interests and social groups; it created new public access to historic resources; and it blends a number of elements into a memorable and unique experience.

Nine sites throughout the City were featured, including the Disston Saw Works, Founder's Hall at Girard College, and a number of churches. For each site, a local or international artist was commissioned to create a piece inspired by the history of the structure. Six sites hosted visual arts projects that were open to the public during set weekend hours; the other three sites served as venues for music or dance pieces but were also accessible to the public for a general gander during the days of performances. What was particularly cool about this event was that it engaged three different audiences that don't typically overlap: history enthusiasts, contemporary art-lovers, and urban explorers (abandoned places hobbyists, like these guys http://www.urbanexplorers.net/). The elements of all three were not only present, but added value to one another for an experience that was greater than the sum of its parts. For example, the average audience for the Group Motion Dance Company is about 200; their Hidden City performance at the old Metropolitan Opera House was experienced by 1,210 audience members. Performances for most events were 100% sold-out, and in some cases oversold. Some of the most popular tickets were for bus tours that took in a number of sites on the same day, and provided "behind the scenes" tours.

Why blog about it now? Well, the Festival did the critical step of evaluating its impact. A recently published report on the Festival reveals the magnitude of its success: over one million website hits, 10,000 visitors, and 3,044 event tickets sold. The Festival is an excellent example of how arts, history, and culture are not just fluffy amenities, but can have significant economic impact: it is estimated that the Festival created about $1.2 million in expenditures from organizations and attendees (imagine what that means for the local multiplier as well!). But perhaps the best outcome of the Festival is its long-lasting changes it has inspired. Apparently, the drop forge buliding at Disston Saw Works is no longer on the chopping block to be demolished, and there are now discussions about Shiloh Baptist Church becoming activated as a community/cultural center. And good news: plans are in the works for a second Hidden City festival in 2012. Mark your calendar.

To read more, check out the great article from Philadelphia City Paper: http://citypaper.net/articles/2009/05/28/my-city-was-gone

Or...go straight the source: http://www.hiddencityphila.org/