6. Broom-making

This shows Bob Haffly of Lone Oak Brooms in Pennsylvania making brooms by hand using antique equipment outside of the Horticulture building (which had nothing to do with horticulture for the festival). The first photo shows a brook-making machine on display in the Antique Museum Barn.

We bought an “art” broom. I don’t know what else to call it. It has a naturally curved, not straight, handle. The wood has fine tunnels on the surface, probably caused by ants beneath the bark. It’s then hard-carved and stained with an ivy pattern. Each such broom was truly a unique work of art. Bob insisted that it’s a working broom, and we shouldn’t be afraid to use it. It’s an amazing construction.

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