The Sonoma County Blacksmith Guild holds its soft-launch at the Sebastopol Grange Hall on Sunday, June 28 — free admission, live forging demos outside all day, plus a craft fair, food, and music.

A new blacksmith guild is making its public debut this Sunday at the Sebastopol Grange Hall, and they're doing it the right way: with iron, fire, and free admission.

Blacksmithing at the Grange runs Sunday, June 28, from 10am to 6pm at the Sebastopol Grange Hall, 6000 Sebastopol Ave. (Hwy 12), Sebastopol. Admission is free.

The event is the soft launch of the Sonoma County Blacksmith Guild, and the centerpiece is exactly what it sounds like: members will be forging outside throughout the day. If you want to do more than watch, the event includes hands-on forging trials — a raffle determines who gets a shot at the anvil. Beyond the metalwork, expect a craft fair with local artists and makers, a silent auction, food, drinks, and live music.

The Grange itself is worth knowing. Sebastopol Grange #306 has been at this location since 1946 (the organization goes back to 1898), and the hall is a proper community building — about 2,400 square feet of main floor, on-site parking lots, and a track record of hosting exactly this kind of neighbor-organized day. No wristbands, no shuttle from a distant lot.

The practical bit: Sebastopol is about 55 miles north of San Francisco on 101 to Hwy 12 — budget an hour with weekend traffic. Parking is on-site. No tickets, no RSVP listed.

If you've got two hours, spend them outside watching the forge. The indoor craft fair will be there whenever you need a break from the heat.