Event to feature live band, food and more

Live music, food and tours of historic buildings will be featured during Music at the Furnace, set for Friday, June 7, beginning at 5 p.m. at Historic Joanna Furnace. The event is free and open to the public.

A highlight of the first-time event, being presented by the Hay Creek Valley Historical Association (HCVHA), will be a performance by the Hay Creek Valley Gold Band, a local folk and bluegrass group, beginning at 7 p.m.

The band is composed of Chris Milanek on banjo, Frank Fraser on upright bass, Lindsay Samar on drums, Rebecca Mogey on violin, Emily Roeder on violin and Jeremiah Wright on guitar.

The band plays at local restaurants and pubs and has performed at previous Joanna Furnace events. "We will play a mix of originals and traditional pieces - same as we've been doing at all the other Hay Creek events we've been at for the past eight years or so," Wright stated. "We will definitely do lots of recognizable (songs) and lots of originals, too. We plan to play a nice mix for the 7th."

"The band will perform on the stage right in the center of the grounds," explained Mark Zerr, HCVHA executive director. "We will have seating, but people can bring folding chairs or blankets or pop-up tents."

Food will also be available for purchase starting at 5 p.m. Visitors can eat on-site or take out their meals. The menu will include pulled pork sandwiches, sausage sandwiches, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, soup, french fries, desserts and beverages, including water, lemonade, sodas and mint tea. Additionally, Stampede BBQ of Mohnton will have its homemade ale available for purchase.

Guided tours of the historic site's building will be offered from 5 to 6 p.m., and each tour will last approximately one hour. Tour groups will gather and leave from the Joanna Furnace mule stable every 15 minutes. Attendees will be able to tour the office/store building, charcoal barn and museum, casting house, blacksmith shop and wheelwright shop. Hay Creek historians will provide demonstrations and interpretations in each of the structures. Visitors may also take a self-guided tour of the site's herb garden.

Also offered throughout the evening will be children's activities and yard games and a book sale. Books will be available by donation only.

The next event at Historic Joanna Furnace will be a strawberry crumb pie sale on Thursday, June 20. The homemade pies will be made by HCVHA volunteers in the Joanna Furnace kitchen. Also offered for sale will be tapioca pudding, bread pudding and strawberry-rhubarb sauce. "The sauce can be used as a topping for ice cream or on waffles and pancakes or eating on its own," noted Zerr.

To order, contact Zerr at 610-286-0388 or mzerr@haycreek.org. Payment can be made at the time of pickup. The order deadline is Friday, June 14. At the pickup, additional food items will be for sale, including other homemade baked goods.

Historic Joanna Furnace, 1250 Furnace Road, Geigertown, is located just off Route 10, 3 miles north of Morgantown. Proceeds from fundraisers and events benefit the HCVHA, a nonprofit organization that owns, maintains and preserves Historic Joanna Furnace, a charcoal iron furnace that was in operation from 1791 to 1898. For more information, contact Zerr or visit http://www.haycreek.org.