The gunslingers are a pretty geographically diverse crowd, but I'm going to post a shameless plug for a local event anyway.

Those of you in the Memphis area (or any of you farther away who have a strong interest in metalsmithing) may be aware of a museum called the National Ornamental Metal Museum . The Metal Museum is one-of-a-kind in the nation, focusing specifically on decorative metal work ranging from fine metal jewelry to large iron work. Smithsonian even ran an article about the museum earlier this year. In addition to the museum's gallery space, there is a working smithy and a working foundry on the grounds. Weekend workshops are held several times a year so people can try their hand and blacksmithing or casting, and the smithy and foundry both are active operations providing repair services and new art. (The gates of Graceland spent some time in the smithy, the trophies for the annual barbecue contest are made by the museum, and other projects include a giant dragon in the entry of Grahamwood Elementary School, the freestanding sculpture in front of the Cook Convention Center at the corner of Poplar and Front, a five-piece silver service for the submarine USS Tennessee, and a dedication plaque for the coastal patrol ship USS Whirlwind.) Work is underway to restore an old house on the grounds to serve as a library, which when completed will provide access to the museum's existing library of metalworking reference material - a library that is said to be the largest such collection of materials in the country. Every October, the museum holds a fund raiser called Repair Days. During that weekend, a couple hundred volunteers will gather from across the country and provide repair services for any metal objects that show up. (The exact motto for the weekend is "Anything but cats, cars and broken hearts.") They'll sharpen knives and scissors, re-tin pots, un-mangle silverware that's gone down the disposal, re-assemble broken candle sticks, and do just about anything else you can think of. And since the volunteers are working either in the smithy or under tents on the grounds, visitors can wander around the grounds and watch the repairs in progress. All of the proceeds go to the museum. This year, it's being held from Friday, October 13 through Sunday, October 15.

Why am I talking about the museum and Repair Days here? Especially so many weeks before Repair Days? Well, each year the museum brings in a "master smith" to take part in Repair Days. The show that is in the gallery around Repair Days is always a one-man show of that master smith's work, and the master smith gives a talk for the volunteers on Saturday night. This year, the master smith is my father. Dad's been active with the museum since before it opened (he and the museum's director both attended Southern Illinois University) and he has been taking his metals students from Memphis College of Art down to help with Repair Days since the early 80's. He was the artist responsible for both the silver service and dedication plaque I mentioned earlier. Dad's show runs from September 5 (next Tuesday) through November 14. If you're in the Memphis area during the weekend of October 13-15, I highly recommend stopping by the museum to check out Repair Days (even if you don't have anything that needs fixing), and if you can't make it downtown for Repair Days I would still heartily recommend checking out dad's show if you are in the area between September 5 and November 14. It's going to be a very cool show.