Well I just made it back from the Metal Museum in Memphis and it was wonderful. My family makes it a yearly pilgrimage that we've only missed two years since I've been born, dad has been going longer than I've been around. It is an incredible event, rather like a con, and yet unlike it at the same time.

Repair Days is the annual fundraiser for the Metal Museum, where we repair anything metal. The tagline is anything but cats, cars, and broken hearts. For this, some of the best metal workers all across the nation gather into one place to put their skills into the jobs. My dad has been sharpening knives every year he has been there and has become known as the guy to bring knives to, as well as teaching others how to sharpen. Even though I have spent years trying to avoid the knife sharpening tent and work in the jewelers tent or the forge, the last couple years I threw in my assistance where I learned how to sharpen knives in scouting. Last year dad took it as specifically he was going to teach me how to sharpen knives... got distracted talking to a customer who brought their knife, and when he was done I handed him the knife that I had just finished sharpening. I then commented he didn't need to act so surprised. XD

I admit, 27 years of going, I have seen a change when the current owner of the museum too charge. Used to dinner on Saturday was just as informal as any of the other meals, as was the auction for the pieces the metal smiths made and after the dinner was done, that's when the forges would be powered back up. Now it seems they're civilizing us a bit with a real nice dinner, and public comes in from the auctions... and the power hammer doesn't come on because naturally that's going to bring curious people. I don't like change and I miss the old days, but it is so good for the museum because the public awareness is what is needed. This is in fact -for- the museum and not just the metal smiths, but the party that goes on after is most definitely ours. It gets a bit interesting when the alcohol is free for the volunteers.

In a weekend, I saw friends I have grown up knowing all my life. Noticed absent faces. This is such a close family of people that someone knows where another is. The level of family is unique to anywhere else I've been, where volunteers trust each other enough I could drop my apron over the bench (they ran out this year) and not worry that it will be gone in the morning. No where else have there been such closeness that you can walk up, ask someone to help with a project and you'll learn a new skill that day. This weekend I learned how to tin copper pots from the last remaining tinner of repair days. (He was happy, going "I upgraded to consultant!")

It was a slow year though this year, but probably because of economy, because it was earlier in the year so other things are happening in Memphis, and really, sometimes there are just slow years. I appreciated a weekend not full of rain and storms so I could look over the beautiful view over the Mississippi River, especially as the sun was setting and lit the whole river gold. All in all, the Metal Museum is probably one of my favorite places in the world, and I know when Repair Days comes around next year I will do everything to be there again.

http://www.metalmuseum.org/