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Red Hot History Draws a Crowd in Scranton

SCRANTON– It glows like a volcano and pours like liquid fire. Melted iron was the star attraction at the Arts on Fire Festival at the Scranton Iron Furnac...

SCRANTON-- It glows like a volcano and pours like liquid fire.

Melted iron was the star attraction at the Arts on Fire Festival at the Scranton Iron Furnaces on Saturday.

About 20 volunteers, from as far away as Rochester, New York, teamed up for the pour.

"It's crazy, one of the most ridiculous things I have ever done in my life, holding this thousand-degree vat of iron and pouring it into a mold," says Meaghan Gavin of Scranton.

Gavin adds that after four years, she has learned to push past the fear.

Sculptor Kevin Dartt traveled from Rochester. He says working with iron is special because it requires teamwork.

"It's hard to do this alone," Dartt said. "You have to have a lot of people to do this, so it is good to come together."

Even spectators play a role, making molds that the lava-like liquid is poured into.

The role iron played in Scranton's development is also on display; a metalworker pounded a spike, and the "Ring of Fire" is still used at Steamtown National Historic Site to retread the wheels on vintage trains.

Organizers say this year the festival schedule was adjusted to focus on Saturday due to budget cuts.

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