About all you need to do is show up.

Safety glasses would not hurt if you are in the demonstration area.

Everything will become clear when you get there. This is a fully functional blacksmiting/forging facility.

If you use gloves when forging at home - certainly bring some with you. There will be free time at certain points during the weekend where you can have the opportunity to beat on some steel.

Thomas, just remember to not be shy. The single greatest benefit of a hammer-in is the opportunity to make connections and new friends. You can learn as much, or more, in conversations between lecture or demos. At a hammer in your single greatest learning tool will be your handshake and introduction. Always remember that questions actually make our jobs as demonstrators easier, there is nothing worse than working with a dead crowd. Standup comics aren't the only ones who sweat and feel like they are dying when the crowd is silent.

I really appreciate both of you gentlemen taking the time to answer this post. Great answers too. Karl, you sure saved me a lot of labor and fuel mileage. If no one answered, I was going to pack the Jeep full. Just in case.

Kevin, your lead in statement was on point. I usually keep to myself, with my largest concern being having too many questions and trying to not be a pain. I'm so dang new with you guys, I don't want to seem over zealous.

Thanks again.

|quoted:

I'm so dang new with you guys, I don't want to seem over zealous.

Ditto! Thanks for asking the question I didn't know I wanted to ask.

Tomas if you're thinking about camping, there is usually plenty of space and the bathhouse is actually pretty nice. I've camped at the conference the last four or five years and have enjoyed it. Except maybe for that one time my tent blew across the campground...

|quoted:

I'm so dang new with you guys, I don't want to seem over zealous.

Thanks again.

Ask questions to everyone and ask lots of them. We like to talk and share.

Give us something to do.

That sounds real nice Karl. I'll kick them lose. Thanks for that.

So Tomas,

I see you have registered for the Great Smoky Mountain Hammer-in in North Carolina, can we assume you liked the hammer-in last year in Troy Ohio?