BETHLEHEM, PA – Steel Weekend returns on Saturday and Sunday, October 11-12, 2025, and is presented by the National Museum of Industrial History and the Steelworkers’ Archives in partnership with ArtsQuest, Bethlehem Area Public Library, Lehigh Valley Public Media, National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum, Northampton Community College, the Southside Arts District, and the South Bethlehem Historical Society.
This year’s annual celebration of all things steel will pay special tribute to America’s Veterans. The weekend will include a panel discussion with Veterans who worked in the Bethlehem Plant, guided walking and bus tours, a steelworkers’ reunion session, special exhibits, music, film screenings, lectures, iron and steel demonstrations, and an iron pour. Museum admission is free on Saturday and Sunday. Select programs require additional cost.
To kick off the weekend, on Friday, October 10th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., NMIH will host a “Metal Health” workshop led by Veteran and artist Jay Elias of Evolution Art Studios. Elias, a former United States Marine, served during the Gulf War era. The workshop will introduce the process used to create three-dimensional sculptural forms in cast iron —patternmaking, mold-making and casting. This workshop is free for veterans and $40 for the public. Pre-registration is required.
Our keynote presentation will be held Saturday, October 11 at 1pm and will include the premiere of a documentary about Veterans who worked in the Bethlehem Plant, produced by Mary Lafferty, Ed Leskin, and Bruce Ward, followed by a panel discussion with the Veterans.
On Saturday, October 11 at 7 p.m., a public iron pour demonstration will take place outdoors in the Museum’s Foundry Park (weather permitting). The public is invited to watch the pour, where scrap iron will be recycled and melted down in a visually stunning process of fire and molten metal. After cooling down from 2700 degrees Fahrenheit, the resulting cast iron sculptures and objects will be on exhibit for the public on Sunday, October 12th during Steel Weekend before their makers bring them home. Refreshments will be available for purchase.
On Sunday, October 12 at 1pm, Historian Mike Piersa will be presenting the history of the iconic No.2 Machine Shop, once the largest industrial building in the world, which is still standing on our SteelStacks campus. At 2pm a performance paying tribute to the Bethlehem Steel Company Band (1910 – 1925) will take place in the Museum’s newly expanded 2nd floor space. An industrial band Charles M. Schwab, President of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, gave as a Christmas present to the town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Bethlehem Steel Company Band was seen performing locally at special events such as parades, parties, town ceremonies, school concerts, football club celebrations, and during the lunch hour for steel plant workers. The “Bethlehem Steel Company Legacy Band” performance will pay homage to the Bethlehem Steel Company Band while providing high quality music-making opportunities for performers and meaningful communication through music for the audience using historic period style music.
This year, the Museum will be offering Steel Weekend scratch blocks for sale. Guests will be able to pre-purchase specially made hardened sand blocks, known as scratch blocks, that they can take home and carve designs into. The blocks are currently available to be pre-purchased both online and at the Museum admission desk, and the completed blocks must be returned to the front desk at NMIH no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, October 10th, 2025. Weather and furnace conditions permitting, the blocks will be filled with iron around 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 11th during the live iron pour event. After cooling off, the iron castings can be picked up from the NMIH Gift Shop as soon as the following day.
Additional activities include a Steelworkers Reunion, Steelworkers Portrait Studio and Exhibit with photographer Ed Leskin, a Songs of Steel musical performance by Roland Kushner, ongoing live demonstrations, film screenings, and hands-on youth activities, Bethlehem Plant site walking tours, and more. ArtsQuest will host an exhibit tour of Materia Medica an exhibit by Marissa Alise Baez as well as a sculpture unveiling with artist Chelsea Southard as part of the 4th annual Sculpture at SteelStacks exhibition, an outdoor display featured at the entrance to the Visitor Center at SteelStacks. The Steelworkers’ Archives will be offering bus tours during Steel Weekend (more information can be found on their website https://steelworkersarchives.com/)
More information and a full schedule of events can be found at https://www.nmih.org/steelweekend.
Steel Weekend is generously sponsored by Hank & Joanne Barnette, MMZ Foundation, Adam Meyer Moving & Storage, and OneGroup. This program was funded in part by the Hotel Tax Grant Program through the County of Northampton Department of Community & Economic Development. The Borgenicht Foundation also provided grant funds that support the 4th Annual Sculpture at SteelStacks exhibition.
ABOUT NATIONAL MUSEUM OF INDUSTRIAL HISTORY
A Smithsonian Institution-affiliate, the National Museum of Industrial History is dedicated to preserving America’s rich industrial heritage. Housed in an 18,000-square-foot, 110-year-old former Bethlehem Steel facility on the largest private brownfield in America, the Museum is home to exciting exhibits, engaging programs and amazing history. Learn more at nmih.org.
Media Contact: Megan Pildis, Director of Development, National Museum of Industrial History, [email protected] 610-428-3053 (cell)