This was our second year at the Prairie Arts Festival in Schaumburg, Illinois, and it’s quickly becoming a favorite!

• The staff at the Prairie Center for the Arts is amazing.
• The artists that come out to set up their tents are seriously talented people.
• The live music throughout the grounds is awesome.
• And there are food trucks. Really impressive food trucks.

And it goes without saying that the people of Schaumburg are delightful. We meet so many collectors, enthusiasts, amateurs, grandchildren-of-blacksmiths, tradesmen and women, first responders, Forged In Fire fans, and just genuinely good people … that we wrap up the weekend with our faith in humanity restored.

And Saturday was a beautiful day for it. Maybe a little on the warm side for the guy hovering over 2600-degree forge, but lovely for everyone else.

Sunday, sadly, the weather wasn’t having it, and we packed up before the opening gong, amidst (rather dystopian) loudspeakers announcing lightning in the area.

But mark your calendars for Memorial Day Weekend, May 2025. We’ll be back for sure.