The Boothbay Railway Village continues its partnership with the Maine Stone Workers Guild with a weekend dedicated to the artists and artisans, past and present, that take stone from the earth and create art, architecture, landscape and more. The weekend, Aug. 11 and 12, sets the stage for the second biannual Maine Coast Stone Symposium coming up in August 2019. Maine Stone Working Weekend is made possible with the generous support of Knickerbocker Group, J.C. Stone, Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium, Ledge Hill Creations and Boothbay Harbor Oceanside Golf Resort & Coastal Prime.

Guild members will be demonstrating techniques while working on personal projects, showing finished sculptures and talking with visitors about this amazing part of Maine’s heritage. Master stone mason and Guild President Norman Casas will lead demonstrations of splitting stone using feathers and wedges. Obie Buell is joining us from his Granite Garden Gallery in Sullivan, to demonstrate the leaves, bowls and other small sculptural pieces he specializes in for Maine gardens. Jon Doody will share his expertise in carving intricate designs in reclaimed Maine slate and marble. Mike Nahme will be demonstrating the use of basic hand tools on granite and also share safety tips for those thinking of starting to work stone on their own. Other artists and artisans are also expected to appear throughout the weekend. Some work will be for sale.

At some point during the weekend, Dan Ucci and Dick Alden will be flaming the town hall steps installed during same event two years ago. This process, also known as thermaling, makes the stone appear naturally weathered.

From granite for some of the country’s most significant public buildings to slate for roof tiles, commercial quarrying and stone working has thrived in Maine since around 1800. The sector’s evolution affected transportation by both sea and rail, while technological advances changed the industry in significant ways. Today, Maine stone artists and artisans still use many traditional techniques to create everything from garden benches to world-renowned public architecture. This ongoing project investigates the historical ties between technology, industry and the creative world.

The weekend demonstrations are free with Museum admission of $14 adults, $12 seniors, $7 children 3 to 18. Children under 3 and Museum members are free. The Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; most of the demos will take place between 10 and 4. The Railway Village is located at 586 Wiscasset Road, Route 27, in Boothbay. To learn more visit www.railwayvillage.org or call 633-4727.