Uptown Roxboro was very excited to see this project to its completion and share it with all of you. Our Design Committee, chaired by Saundra Shoe, set out to add a new piece of art to Uptown Roxboro and we managed to be put in contact with Fireball Forge whom we were able to commission for this incredible metal sculpture for the Roxboro Savings Centennial Park. We gave the artist the freedom to come up with a design, which the URG Board unanimously approved and here is the final result. We LOVE it and hope our community does as well! Below is some information about the great young minds that created this art piece for Uptown Roxboro!
Fireball Forge was founded in April of 2019.
Caleb is 14, Carter is 16 and Camden is 13. They attend Person County Schools Virtual Academy.
Caleb was the first of the boys to show a genuine interest in metalworking. At a young age, he began at home trying to beat a piece of metal into a shape he wanted for an outdoor project he was working on. His grandfather, Ed Johnson, started helping him develop his interest and they worked together to set up a workshop. Caleb’s brothers, Carter and Camden, also got curious and started spending time at the shop. Over the last several years they have worked together to learn more and continue to grow the business.
Before Covid, Caleb participated in regional gatherings held by NC ABANA (the North Carolina Chapter of Artists Blacksmith Association of North America) where he met other blacksmiths and was able to learn from them.
In 2022, Caleb and Carter participated in the annual Fire on the Mountain Blacksmith Festival Youth Forging Competition held in Spruce Pine, NC. Even though Caleb and Carter were two of the youngest competitors (ages 13 and 14), they were still able to win first and second place out of 10 competitors from across the state. They returned to compete in 2023 and won second and third place at the event. They have also forged knives, metal figures of various types, metal hooks, and other handmade tools which they have sold locally.
