Blacksmiths spark interest in old skills

May 19, 2012 | If blacksmithing is a lost art, as some say, it was being rediscovered Saturday at the Clifton Forge School of the Arts, where nearly 100 blacksmiths and those interested in the craft assembled for what's called a Hammer In. For O'Dell, an... "There's an innate desire in a lot of men to make things, and there's always been an allure to watching something being made from a hot piece of iron," O'Dell said. CLIFTON FORGE — From a bed of coal burning at 3,000 degrees, Alex O'Dell pulls out a cylinder of iron, its end glowing orange, and places it on an anvil. After falling victim first to the Industrial Age, then to the mass production of knock-off wrought iron items sold at big-box stores, blacksmithing was all but dead by the 1970s. With repeated blows from a 4-pound hammer, he slowly shapes the iron into a rifle barrel. "Whoa," says one spark-struck spectator, more out of awe than alarm. Read more »

A Georgia Story: History Meets Hospitality, Inn Meets Industry

May 19, 2012 | Working with cast-iron replicas of antique fireplace grates, the company assembles the intricate burners and other components that add up to a realistic “coal” fire. All of their devices meet the stringent CSA certification standards required in the US

Something for everyone: Southern Hills Mall restaurant offers eclectic menu

May 19, 2012 | Those accoutrements have been replaced at the Iron Hill Bar & Grill, a new sit-down restaurant featuring international cuisine, which opened Dec. 7 inside the Southern Hills Mall. The opening, in the midst of the holiday shopping season, followed four

Open house gives taste of urban life in downtown Fresno

May 19, 2012 | The brick walls, corner fireplace, cozy kitchen and high-rise location gave them the feeling of big city living. "When you think Fresno, you don't think lofts," said Linda DuChene, who lives in southeast Fresno. "I could see myself living here.