PEDRO — Kay Rader joked she was too old to be nervous about her performance as Elizabeth Campbell during this weekend’s inaugural Vesuvius Iron Furnace Festival.

“I’ve only performed this once before,” Rader said Saturday as she was waiting to the take the makeshift stage. “But, I’ve got some notes if I need to look at them.”

Rader portrayed the wife of Ironton’s founding father, John Campbell; in a two-character play about Campbell’s life written by her and fellow local history buff Virginia Bryant. Rachel Bradshaw, who played Campbell’s oldest daughter Mary Jane, joined Rader on stage.

Rader said the play was like the rest of the performances and displays at the two-day festival — they show the importance of keeping local history alive.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize what Campbell did and his role in helping slaves and the Underground Railroad,” Rader said. “This (play) just shows a little bit of local history.”

The Furnace Festival was funded by a grant received by the Ohio University Southern Nature Center at the lake and featured events both Friday evening and all day Saturday.

Organizers say the festival was a huge success and drew more people than they had anticipated, as people flowed in and out of the park all day.

“There has just been a wonderful response,” Bryant said. “We are well pleased. This a great place.”

Martin Keeton was one of those who attended the festival Saturday. He and his family were camping at the lake.

“We thought it would be a nice weekend to come down and see what’s going on,” said Keeton of Rome Township. “There were a lot of things I wanted to show the kids. I don’t think they even knew what the iron furnaces were.”

Keeton’s 7-year-old son, Richard, said his favorite part of the festival was the reptiles at the OUS Nature Center. The Civil War display was pretty cool, too, he said.