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Extension Matters

Volume 12 Number 1

Celebrating Traditions

Close up of a red-tailed hawk with a child’s wide eyes in the background.

2026 Forge Day and Heritage Festival showcases time-honored traditions, practices

Story by Leah Bowers | Photos by Kevin Hudson

Hundreds gathered in early February to celebrate tradition—skills like metal forging, knife making, weaving, spinning, and quilting, as well as heritage livestock and raptor birds—at the 2026 Forge Day and Heritage Festival.

Held in Picayune at The Crosby Arboretum, Forge Day is hosted annually by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, which oversees the arboretum.

A child reaches toward a red-tailed hawk held by a handler.
A child watches a person explaining knife safety.
Three smiling children with a miniature donkey.
A smiling child creating art.
A person gestures near a forge fire as a child smiles.
A person holds thread from a spinning wheel as other people watch.
Close up of two miniature donkeys in profile.
CLICK HERE to learn more about The Crosby Arboretum.

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Mississippi State University Extension 130 Bost Drive Mississippi State MS 39762

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