MUSCATINE, Iowa — Off to the side of the Louisa County Fair office, a tarp shaded a quiet scene of intent carvers recreating an ancient craft.

Their guide, Harold Boysen of Morning Sun, patiently offered his guidance for creating replicas of American Indian arrowheads and spear heads from flint and volcanic glass as his students worked.

“Harold’s awesome,” said 12-year-old Nevada Bolander of Wapello as she held up a set of hand-chipped arrowheads. “He helped me make these.”

Boysen first became interested in arrowheads as a boy when he began picking up the artifacts on his family farm in Morning Sun.

He began learning how to make his own about seven years ago and enjoys sharing that art, called knapping, with people of all ages at fairs, festivals and other public events around the United States.

Boysen enjoys teaching children about Native American history, and bringing aspects of it to life with his authentic artifacts and hands-on demonstrations.

This is the fifth year Boysen is bringing his own tools and carvable stone to the Louisa County Fair, where he assists visitors in creating their own primitive-style tools at no charge.

Boysen said he picked up about 650 pounds of volcanic glass in Oregon about five years ago where the Bureau of Land Management allows citizens to load up to that amount at no charge.

He brought it back to Morning Sun in a pick up truck and uses that along with flint stone as a base for arrow and spear heads.

Boysen doesn’t charge anyone to sit and chip with him, but he said he gains other rewards.

“I love to get people interested in this,” he said.

Boysen’s son David Boysen, his wife, Dani and their children Sierra, 8, and Alex, 6, joined Harold at the fair Thursday.

Dani said her children are learning important facts about Native American history from their grandfather, and she appreciates that.

Boysen said he will be at the Louisa County Fair until about 6 p.m. today.

The Fair is taking place on the Louisa County Fairgrounds, just off Iowa Highway 92 in Columbus Junction and runs through Saturday.