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Image provided by: Guilderland Public Library
The AltamontEnterprise —Altafnont Fair Special Section « August 17,2006 An afternoon with the Shermans isn't dull By Jarrett Carroll ALTAMONT — Hurling axes and hewing logs are a spectacu- lar part of The Sherman Family Show, but an ingrained rever- ence for craftsmanship underlies the performance \I started all of this while I was working on my thesis in college on Pieter Comelisz who was employed by Kilhan Van Rensselaer,\ said Sherman of the show's inpeption \He was a master carpenter in 1691 and it 189Q's Building to replicate an original barn framework Origi- nally the Sherman Family Show was moved to various locations around.the fairgrounds, but now they are permanently placed in the 1890's building r \When we first came to the 1890's building, there was nothing here, not even boards oh |he wall,\ Sherman said. \*The •Iflea was to build a barn inside of the building, and it will be here forever,\ eye painted on a water-logged wopden stump At one ppint Sherman asked a boy in the drowd where he would like Kevin \o jthrow the next tomahawk after he had already thrown two on either side of the bull's eye «Rlghti in the middle!\ 1;he boy yelled out, to which. Sherman |j^|^-'^^bii|^aAds9^ that, if he mis^d ? he .would be forced to leave the show. on cue, Kevin's toma- pointmg'to a sharpenmg-stone wheel on display pfou also have to know blacksmithing because some of the^stuff is going to need repair ..We have a fdrge on the farm\ Sherman emphasized the im- portance of preserving the lost art that, his family fefta continued for the past eight generations. \In <jrder»t«? really^educate and entertain, yoii hay&to&ave liv- ing history;\ Sherman said. \When people walk through, 'Xhe most important aiQi v we',^,jt9,,sti^s!5'|iere is the vaiue':^f^|^n^i|to^^ 0a$&$fi0b00$ ctioicblate- '•\chip cookies or building a barn.' The Enterprise — Jarrett CarrolJ Like father, like daughter: Megan Sherman throws an ax into a waterlogged wooden target. She decorated the handle, paint- ing it black with stars. This is her second year of professional ax throwing and she is the eighth generation of Shermans to actively continue traditional post and beam construction. Preserving the craft of post- and-beam construction through eight generations, the Sherman family brought their showman- ship and skill back to the Altamont Fair for the 22\' 1 year to keep the art they love alive. - \The most important thing we try to stress here is the value of passing down a craft...whether its chocolate-chip cookies or building a barn,\ said Dana Sherman, the family's patriarch. \People will look at our tools and say, 'My father had one of those hanging.in the garage'.\ Sherman's son Don, and his two grandchildren, Kevin and Megan, all Knox natives, help run the shows. Sherman, an extremely friendly and animated man, loves history. \This is one of the few fairs where you can go around and see history and touch history,\ Sherman told The Enterprise. \The Altamont Fair has the ability to offer everything from carriages to rollercbasters; they offer a span which is hard to find at other places \ On display inside of the 1890's Building the Shermans had an- tique axes, wood lathes, chisels, mallets, froes, ades, saws, draw knives, and much more was the beginning of European carpentry in the colonies.\ One could tell the nationality of a carpenter simply by the techniques he used, Sherman continued. \Different techniques origi- nated in different nationali- However, most new building materials do not come close to \lasting forever,\ Sherman told The Enterprise. \I've seen cedar shingles over 100 years old,\ said Sherman. \If you go down to the Home Depot, , the best shingles they've got will only last about 20 or 30 years. Of course, they're probably cheaper than hand-hewed shin- gles.\ However, during Colonial times, farmers depended on these traditional practices to make a living out of the North- eastern wilderness. \Being a farmer, the most i im- portant structure was their barn. So, they would live in a barn before building their own home, often sleeping next to their animals,\ said Sherman. lc Yo(u just start chucking ®* axes\ Sherman said that he still looks forward to talking with fair-goers every year. \We really look forward to this week...We don't get out that often to actually see the fair, but the interaction with the people is fantastic...From the young kid hawk landed with a dull thud in the three-inch gap between his first two throws. The crowd cheered and clapped in delight. According to Sherman, main- tenance of antique equipment is critical to its preservation. \One of the things we do be- tween breaks is sharpening. There is not an electric motor back there,\ Sherman said, they only see the stuff, they don't see the history...If you know how to do something, you've got to $how people how to do it.\ The Sherman Family\ -Show * will continue through the rest of the Altamont Fair; with the last show on Saturday night. The Sherman invites all to come, Watch, and ask questions about the forgotten art of post-and- beam construction. 'You get tired of hewing wood all day and you just start chucking axes and hatchets.' ties...There's more than one way of hand-hewing,\ Sherman said. \We demonstrate English, Dutch, and German techniques at our show.\ Barn first few of the tools are modern rep lfcas, according to Sherman, be' cause they simply do not make them anymore The post and beam construc- tion, of the 17 th and 18 th centuries, were extremely time consuming and labor intensive, and would be financially impractical for today's modern construction practices, said Sherman, who added that it would take a minimum of four to six months, Very depending on size, to build a barn that way The beams created during the Sherman's demonstrations ate being put together inside of the NEW-USED SALES-SERVICE KNIGHTES FARM, LAWN & GARDEN JOHtfOEERE'BUSH HOG YORK RAKE'ECHO UTILITY TRAILERS STIHL POWER EQUIPMENT * GRASSHOPPER 7160 RT 158'GUILDERLANDRD SCHENECTADY, NY 12306 518-355-4669 asking a million questions about what we do to the guy that owns some of the tools,\ he said. Sherman said the reason why his family got into the lumber- jack competition demonstrations at their shows is quite sittiple. \You get tired of hewing' wood -all^day^ and- ^you justw, start chucking axes and hatchets,\ Sherman told The Enterprise \People really lovg the toma- hawks' 7 Sherman's grandson, Kevin, impressed the crowd with his skill at the tomahawk toss dur- ing the show. Quickly grabbing three 7 and four small axes at a tikqe, Kevin rapidly threw^all of th^mat the target — a red hull's 1 ___ . •> .u* v. The Enterprise — Jarrett Carroll Try your hand at ax-weigtiing: Dana Snerman wains around the crowd gathered,at the Altamont Fairk 1890's Building and asks onlookers togiiesstheivetghtofhisax, which one man guessed correctly ai eight pounds ~Thi8 is the Shermans' 22nd yparat the fair $i, £ GREEN VELVET LAWN CARE A Professional Mowing Service Sincq 1990 BEST WISHES FOR ANOTHER GREAT FAIR! 869-LAWN .'W,/*
