QUEENS — Rufus King Park will be transformed this weekend into a 19th century craftsmen's workshop.
Artisans dressed in traditional outfits will make brooms using a historic machine and candles by dipping a string in melted wax.
There will also be demonstrations on basket weaving, using a spinning wheel and woodturning, where wood will be carved and shaped using a lathe, the organizers said.
“It’s fun for everyone,” said Kathy Forrestal from King Manor Museum, which organizes the event held outside of the museum.
Forrestal said she hopes the fair will help people realize how various items came to be.
"We take for granted sometimes that we can go to a store and just buy something, already made, in the package," she said. "We don’t think about where it came from; it’s just there and we take it, we use it, and we discard it."
But she said that traditionally "even things that we don’t really think about, like brooms, took a lot of work and were very valuable to a household."
The event, Forrestal said, "gives us a chance to remember that but also to appreciate the function of these things that have been around for so long."
Craftsmen Days are scheduled for Aug. 14 and 15, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Outdoors events are free. During the fair admissions for King Manor tours will be offered at discounted prices: $2 adults and $1 students and seniors (free for children 16 and under). Rufus King Manor is located at 150-03 Jamaica Ave. in Rufus King Park. For more information go here.
