Samantha Triplett | Contributing Writer

The winds were chilly in the Studio East parking lot on the fourth annual Sibley Day, but the iron was molten hot. Sand molds, containing many designs, lay on the asphalt in the roped off area.Included in the sampling were a fleur-de-lis, a coffee cup and an abstract eye mold.

Not everyone who attended the function was able to pick up an iron artwork at the end of the day. Anybody arriving after 9:30 a.m. found a message with the words “out of scratch blocks” instead of waiting chisels.

Despite the short supply of molds, the parking lots of Studio East and Studio West were full of spectators as Lindenwood students took part in one of the 30 activities held to celebrate Sibley Day on Feb. 22.

The day honored Mary Sibley, a founder of Lindenwood, with activities and a break from classes.

For the spectators who arrived after the sand molds ran out, the “Iron Pour” consisted of watching Professor Marty Linson and his helpers prepare the furnace and the iron.
The leather-clad workers heated the furnace and melted the iron in a process that took until noon.

The crowd, containing students, teachers, dogs on leashes and even a cat tucked into a girl’s full-body pajamas, pressed against the wires marking off the safety area. Linson described the process of pouring the molten iron before beginning.

The smell of burnt sand and smoke filled the air as sand mold after sand mold was filled.

After all the pouring was over, attendees could pick up their completed pieces, which were available after 4 p.m.