(AP)Cheryl Heck is an anachronism.

In spite of her thoroughly modern minivan and cell phone, when she retires to her home, you'll likely find her by the wood-burning stove, spinning wool into yarn, throwing pots or tending to the small flock of chickens in her backyard.

"I've always loved traditional things, things you were able to make with your hands," Heck says.

She's hoping to inspire others to put their hands to work at the Folk Art Center at Clear Spring Mill.

The center offers children and adults the chance to learn folk-art crafts, including knitting, weaving, quilting and woodworking — skills that just a century ago were essential to maintaining a home.

The center, in an 1800s-era grist mill in Franklin Township, York County, is the latest in a series of classes, projects and opportunities being offered by the historically minded in the Dillsburg area.

With the restoration of the Dill Tavern, the Northern York County Historical and Preservation Society has offered classes in masonry and hearth-oven baking.

And while the Dillsburg area is not quite Colonial Williamsburg, Heck says she loves the idea of helping people, particularly children, understand the sacrifices and successes of the past.

"Kids are so creative," Heck says. "But somehow that gets squashed. They feel like if it's not a perfect picture, it's not worth doing."

Heck's love of the past and of working with her hands can be traced to her childhood. She was inspired by family vacations to historic sites, and says she and her parents enjoyed making gifts for family and friends.

She worked for several years at Fitzgerald Pottery, near Dillsburg. She home-schooled her children and has taught art classes through her home-schooling groups for years, Heck says. But with three of her four children in or headed for college, she was ready to embrace her dream of teaching art full time.

When she learned that Donna and Art Bert, who until recently ran a full-time gift shop and organic mill at Clear Spring, were looking for groups to fill their space, Heck felt her folk-art school might be a perfect fit.

Donna Bert agreed.

Not only does the mill's antique atmosphere encourage budding artists to think about the past, Bert says; the hands-on experiences give a greater appreciation of where the necessities of life come from.

Heck says she hopes the classes not only teach skills that can become life long hobbies but that just for a moment, she can make history come alive.

"I wish I could go back," she says. "Maybe not for a long time, just a night. But stepping back in the past, it's beautiful." blog comments powered by Disqus