In mid-October, the Arnettsville Community Center will be hosting a hide-tanning class, instructed by Jason Drevenak, president of the North American Bushcraft School.
The North American Bushcraft School is in the Eastern panhandle.
The workshop is set for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 19, rain or shine, and it will focus on how to turn any animal hide into leather “suitable for all kinds of craft.”
Admission for the workshop is $20. A break will be taken for lunch. Attendees can either bring a lunch or use the lunch concessions that will be available.
The community center received a grant from the Weldon Family Foundation Trust to be able to host a series of “home study” topics this year.
Jennifer Steele, board president of the Arnettsville Community Association, said the idea for the workshop came up during a brainstorming session of volunteers at the community center.
Steele said the label of “home study” is in regard to topics such as food preservation, gardening and other workshops on how to be self-sufficient. Steele said the series has been a new idea they have been wanting to initiate, and the community center is a way of reaching more people in the region.
“With this community center we really have a broad mission to serve the community,” Steele said. “We thought that [this workshop] would be a different type of [event] to reach more people.”
Drevenak has been a “hillbilly” historian since he was 4 years old. He grew up hearing “true bluegrass music” where people would make their own instruments by hand.
“I grew up a proper hillbilly,” Drevenak said.
Drevenak said his passion is driven by teaching people the origin of the skills and technologies of the Native Americans. His goal is to remind people of the heritage in a respectful way.
Drevenak said the Appalachian culture goes back hundreds of years, with the methods allowing people to not starve or freeze.
“How important those contributions are to us today is such an important thing to not forget. My interest and connection with that is remembering the truth in our past and what gave our culture the ability to do what it does,” Drevenak said.
The workshop will mainly be demonstration, and Drevenak will be showing different techniques of hide-tanning, as well as some hands-on practice.
The preparation of the hide is crucial, so Drevenak encourages those who register for the workshop and want to bring their own hide to contact him in advance at 305-797-0414 for instructions on preparing the hide.
A major point Drevenak plans to discuss at the workshop is that each part of an animal can be used for something, with many having multiple uses, especially the hide. Drevenak stresses that whenever he is informing others about proper hide-tanning procedures.
“Everything was purposed for a reason,” Drevenak said. “All of the things you can do with a hide is incredible.”
Although she is not sure what kind of crowd to expect, Steele looks forward to having Drevenak showing locals at the community center the proper procedure of hide-tanning. Drevenak said in addition to the upcoming workshop, he travels quite a lot during the summer to host summer camps for ages 6-15.
The community center offers several opportunities to the community, and can be rented for meetings, birthdays and more. The center also has a farmer’s market every Monday from 3-6 p.m., among other volunteer-led events.
The registration form for the hide-tanning workshop is posted on the community center’s Facebook. People are also welcomed to email Steele at jksteele2@comcast.net or call 304-278-5479 for further questions or inquiry about registration.
