{"id":102831,"date":"2020-09-10T23:03:59","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T03:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=102831"},"modified":"2020-09-10T23:04:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T03:04:56","slug":"last-cast-25-to-commemorate-25th-anniversary-of-steelmaking-this-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=102831","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Last Cast 25\u2019 to Commemorate 25th Anniversary of Steelmaking This Fall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Featured Image:\u00a0 Photo by Edward Leskin<\/p>\n

Steelworkers\u2019 Reunion Party, Public Art Project, Steelworker Speaker Series & More Highlight Events and Programs Through November\u00a0<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/i><\/p>\n

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BETHLEHEM, PA\u2014A Steelworkers reunion party, public art project featuring Bethlehem beams, the opportunity for students to discover local history from steelworkers, and the creation of a new children\u2019s book that tells the story of a \u2018Tug\u2019 tractor that pulled buggies at Bethlehem Steel are among the highlights of the \u201cLast Cast 25\u201d initiative this fall commemorating the 25th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary of the last time steel was made at the iconic Bethlehem Steel plant.<\/p>\n

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Last Cast 25, which includes both in-person and virtual programming and events throughout the fall, is presented through a partnership between Bethlehem Area Public Library, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, Lehigh Valley Public Media, the National Museum of Industrial History, Steelworkers\u2019 Archives, Wind Creek Resort and ArtsQuest.<\/p>\n

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Launching Sept. 26-27 with the Steel Weekend at the National Museum of Industrial History, Last Cast 25 will feature a series of events and programs that tie arts, music, education and culture to the rich history of the Bethlehem Steel, paying homage to one of the region\u2019s largest employers in the 20th<\/sup>\u00a0century and the second largest steel manufacturer in the nation. The Bethlehem plant, which employed more than 30,000 people at its height, was instrumental in manufacturing steel for much of the Manhattan skyline, Madison Square Garden and artillery and ships in the two World Wars.<\/p>\n

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November 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the last steel made in Bethlehem.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nov. 18, 1995 was the last cast of iron from a blast furnace in Bethlehem and the Basic Oxygen Furnace, which converted iron into steel, shut down shortly afterwards.\u00a0 The Electric Furnace Melt Shop was the last steelmaking shop to end melting on Nov. 22, 1995.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBethlehem Steel\u2019s \u2018last cast\u2019 holds a symbolic place in the hearts of many steelworkers and community members.\u00a0 It\u2019s an indelible final chapter in the history of a storied company,\u201d says\u00a0National Museum of Industrial History\u00a0President and CEO Kara Mohsinger. \u201cWhile the plant\u2019s final days were a sad time for Bethlehem, we\u2019re glad we can come together now, 25 years later, and remember the worldwide impact Bethlehem\u2019s steelworkers had on our town and our country.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Confirmed Last Cast 25 programs and events so far include:<\/p>\n

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Screening of\u00a0\u201cBethlehem Steel: The People Who Built America:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sept. 16, 7 p.m.
\nLehigh Valley Public Media<\/em>
\nLehigh Valley Public Media presents the EMMY Award-winning documentary \u201cBethlehem Steel: The People Who Built America,\u201d which tracks the amazing history of Bethlehem Steel from a booming multi-national company to a historic landmark in south Bethlehem. Meet the workers who helped build America and discover the legacy left behind by the corporation. Includes a panel discussion with former Bethlehem Steel CEO Hank Barnette, former Bethlehem Mayor Don Cunningham and the National Museum of Industrial History\u2019s Andria Zaia.\u00a0Visit PBS39.org\/Screenings to learn more.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe First Cast\u201d<\/strong>
\nSept 26, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
\nNational Museum of Industrial History<\/em>
\n<\/strong>Join the National Museum of Industrial History as it unveils its miniature iron melting furnace and holds its first public casting demonstration. The afternoon-long event will culminate in a molten iron pour\u00a0around 3\u00a0p.m.,\u00a0during which commemorative Last Cast 25th Anniversary medallions will be created.\u00a0 This once-in-a-lifetime event will take place on the Museum\u2019s outdoor plaza and is weather dependent.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFaces of Steel\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Starting Sept. 26<\/p>\n

SteelStacks Campus<\/em>
\nLast Cast 25 will honor the men and women who worked at Bethlehem Steel Corp with a photo gallery shared online at\u00a0steelstacks.org<\/a>\u00a0and via the outdoor screens on the SteelStacks campus.\u00a0\u00a0The community is invited to submit photos of family members and friends who worked at Bethlehem Steel digitally through Sept. 18, 5 p.m., at\u00a0www.steelstacks.org\/lastcast25\/<\/a>.\u00a0Submitted photos will be displayed as part of the virtual \u2018Faces of Steel\u2019 photo gallery at\u00a0www.steelstacks.org\/lastcast25\/<\/a>.\u00a0In addition, images will be displayed on the outdoor LED screen at Lehigh Valley Public Media Sept. 26-27 as part of the National Museum of Industrial History\u2019s Steel Weekend and as part of the Last Cast 25 Steelworkers Reunion Party Oct. 3 at SteelStacks.<\/p>\n

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Steelworkers Reunion Party\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

October 3, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.<\/p>\n

ArtsQuest Center\u2019s Air Products Town Square\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Bethlehem Steel\u2019s workers and their family and friends are invited to gather on the Air Products Town Square for a 25th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary reunion featuring lunch and the opportunity catch up with old friends \u2013 socially distanced of course. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

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Bethlehem Beam Project\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0\u201cLook for the I-s that built the sk-I-es\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

November 2020 Through 2021<\/p>\n

Throughout Bethlehem<\/em>
\nArtsQuest, National Museum of Industrial History and various other organizations and businesses are collaborating to host a public art project featuring the iconic Bethlehem Beams. Beams will be featured throughout the North and SouthSides of Bethlehem to commemorate the 25th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary. The beams, which come from Martin Tower, will be divided into benches and decorated by local artisans, as well as youth. The beam project will start this November, so be on the lookout for the \u201cI-s that built the sk-I-es.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Steelworkers\u2019 Archives Exhibition & Activities
\n<\/strong>Throughout Fall
\n<\/strong>Steelworkers\u2019 Archives<\/em>
\n<\/strong>The Steelworkers\u2019 Archives is displaying images from its permanent collection including steelworker portraits and images from the Bethlehem plant, as well as offering film viewings, open-air presentations and stories by former steelworkers.\u00a0 There will also be a printed guide for all visitors that covers the events and exhibition.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Last Cast 25 Community Art Juried Exhibition<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Nov. 6-Jan. 3, 2021
\n<\/strong>The Banana Factory<\/em>
\n<\/strong>As part of Last Cast 25 and InVision, the Banana Factory Arts Center is hosting a digital exhibition focused on photography and photo-based artwork featuring Bethlehem Steel. Jurors for this exhibition are National Museum of Industrial History\u2019s Glenn Koehler, former Bethlehem Steel worker and photographer Bruce Ward and\u00a0ArtsQuest\u2019s\u00a0Nicole\u00a0Gencarelli. Works will be juried on artistic and technical merit for inclusion in this digital exhibition.\u00a0<\/em>The public can submit work through\u00a0Oct. 11 at\u00a0fest.formstack.com\/forms\/last_cast_25_community_art_juried_exhibition<\/a>.\u00a0For more information, email\u00a0visualarts@artsquest.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Steelworker Interviews\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout November\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Steelworkers Archives and National Museum of Industrial History\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Steelworker Interviews<\/em>, hosted by the National Museum of Industrial History in collaboration with the Steelworkers\u2019 Archives, is an opportunity for the innovators of the future to learn from the steel workers of the past. This is a weekly opportunity throughout November for classrooms and online learners to virtually interview a steelworker, ask questions live and hear personalized stories from the Bethlehem Steel days. This program will be free of charge, held during school hours and open to all educators or students interested in joining. Registration, dates and times will be announced soon \u2013 for more information contact NMIH Director of Education and Community Partnerships Amber Emory at\u00a0aemory@nmih.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Additionally,\u00a0Bethlehem Area Public Library and Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites will collaborate to release a limited series podcast of the interviews, which will be available to the public. Students can continue their Last Cast experience with prerecorded art-making projects inspired by the Bethlehem Steel and facilitated by the Banana Factory.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTug\u201d Children\u2019s Book<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bethlehem Area Public Library (BAPL)<\/em>
\nThe Bethlehem Area Public Library and the National Museum of Industrial History are publishing a children’s book in conjunction with Last Cast 25. Tug, which tells the story of a real tractor (made by TUG Technologies Corp.)\u00a0that pulled buggies at Bethlehem Steel, was written by BAPL children’s librarian Catherine McCafferty and illustrated by Jim Atherton.\u00a0 Tug lives at the museum today as a working artifact. It’s a charming story that provides an inside look at the Steel and teaches in a way that is accessible to the youngest readers. To celebrate the book launch, Tug will be read by a member of Steelworkers’ Archives at \u201cStorytime with a Steelworker.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cMemories of Steel\u201d Speaker Series<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dates TBA<\/p>\n

Steelworkers\u2019 Archives\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The Steelworkers\u2019 Archives Speakers Bureau will present \u201cMemories of Steel\u201d Saturdays and Sundays this fall on the plaza outside the National Museum of Industrial History.\u00a0 This speaker series of captivating presentations will combine plant history with steelworker stories. \u00a0Presentations are free and open to the public.\u00a0\u00a0Masks and social distancing required; designated outdoor seating is limited but you can bring your own chair.<\/p>\n

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Taking place from September through November, Last Cast 25 is a series of events designed to honor and remember the rich history of Bethlehem Steel, with last manufactured steel 25 years ago in fall 1995. Partners collaborating on the initiative include\u00a0Bethlehem Area Public Library, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, Lehigh Valley Public Media, the National Museum of Industrial History, Steelworkers\u2019 Archives, Wind Creek Resort and ArtsQuest.<\/p>\n

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Additional details on Last Cast 25 will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, visit\u00a0www.steelstacks.org\/LastCast25<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 
\nInformation provided to TVL by:
\nMark Demko, ArtsQuest
\nhttp:\/\/www.artsquest.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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