First Posted: 5/30/2014

Local high school students will once again have the opportunity to pour hot molten iron into molds they have created, just as the workers did generations ago at the historic Scranton Iron Furnaces.

The students, participants in the Keystone College Iron Works and Art Engage Program, will create their own iron designs during the fourth annual Arts on Fire Festival June 6-8 at the Scranton Iron Furnaces, 159 Cedar Ave. They began their training earlier this month by participating in several iron pour workshops at the Keystone College art studios.

The festival begins Friday, June 6 with the Fire at the Furnace fundraiser from 8 – 11 p.m. to support the Anthracite Heritage Museum and Iron Furnace Associates. The Friday evening celebration features a night-time iron casting demonstration and music by the local group, The Coal Town Rounders.

Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 feature all-day family activities, including food and beverages, music, children’s activities, black smithing, pottery, glassmaking demonstrations and a community iron pour. Visitors may also take a historic trolley ride to and from the Electric City Trolley Station and Museum.

Launched in 2010, The Arts on Fire festival is a celebration of arts, heritage, industry and community held each year at the Iron Furnaces, a former foundry, built in the 1840s which served as a major employer for immigrants settling in the Scranton area.

For more information on the Fire at the Furnace fundraiser on June 6 and the complete Arts on Fire Festival June 7-8, visit www.artsonfirefestival.com