SOMERSET, Pa. — The Somerset Historical Society will host the 38th annual Mountain Craft Days folk festival Sept. 5, 6 and 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

More than 125 artisans, musicians and other entertainers will be on hand to interpret the rich frontier past of southwestern Pennsylvania. There is an entrance fee, with children under 5 years of age admitted free of charge. Pets are not permitted.

Mountain Craft Days was founded in 1970 to preserve Somerset County’s historical craft and trades heritage. With more than 125 craft booths and a dozen outdoor performance sites located within walking distance of each other along wooded paths and through gentle meadows, a wonderful mix of historical demonstrations, music and food is available for visitors to explore and enjoy.

Gerry Barker of Frontier Resources will bring a Virginia Freight Wagon, the forerunner of the Conestoga Wagon, pulled by four oxen. Jordon Speigle of Johnstown will host an old-fashioned bar raising each day during the festival. He will assemble a 14 x 12 foot barn frame of post and beam construction. The three bents, or sections of the barn frame, will be hoisted upright by a team of workers and secured with wooden pegs.

The Young Apprenticeship Activities Area will feature the skills of the leatherworkers, mainly the tanner, harness maker and cordwainer (shoemaker). Children willing to learn about early trades will be made honorary apprentices as they cut leather into shapes, punch holes and stamp decorative designs into leather medallions that they can take home.

The activities area also features toys and games of an earlier time. Walking on stilts is always a hit in this area and gives youngsters a chance to have fun without electricity or modern high technology.

Visitors also will learn food preservation through dehydration and see raw coffee beans ground and brewed and butter churned. Cast iron Dutch ovens will be used to bake fresh gingerbread. Samples will be available.

Other demonstrations include manufacture of buckets and wood shingles, stone cutting, cooking techniques, processing flax into linen thread and cloth, the historic Emerick Cider Press and the maple sugar camp.

As they wander the paths and meadows of the Somerset Historical Center, visitors will encounter a variety of musicians playing 18th and 19th century musical instruments throughout the grounds.

Food is always a major feature of the festival, with church and civic groups serving up a wide assortment of home-style main dishes and desserts.

Weather permitting, there will be on-site parking at the Historical Center on Friday. Weekend shuttle buses will transport visitors free of charge to the site from designated free parking and free shuttle areas. The buses will run continuously starting at 9:45 a.m. daily.

Mountain Craft Days is sponsored by the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The event is held rain or shine. Festival particulars may be found at www.somersethistoricalcenter.org.