I am not sure how wise it would be for portable forges to go into buildings, since depending on the smith, most will use charcoal or coal, and thus it will get very dark and smokey without adequate ventilation and chimneys. Last year, they did some work on the chimney system in the Machine Shop to accommodate the two forges and the foundry. It is a lot of work, and in a permanent structure, I am not sure how many (if any) new chimneys will be added. That is an expensive endeavor. Having doors open will help, but that doesn't help the need for chimneys...
Smoke can minimized a lot by fire control. It is hard to avoid when first starting up for a session on the forge. Pick through the cold remains of the previous fire for the coke and save as much as you can. Coke is coal that has had the volatiles cooked off and is much lighter, because it is mostly carbon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coke_(fuel)#/media/File:Koks_Brennstoff.jpg
Use coke to start your new fire whenever possible. Keeping the fire hot, disturbing it as little as possible, and pushing new coal into the bottom of fire, from the sides, will also minimize smoke. Natural charcoal, not briquets, is also mostly carbon and smokes very little. Putting the forges by the doors so they can be moved outside easily will help or at least will allow some of the smoke to escape.
This also brings me to the question of weather.
As I mentioned before, most smiths that will show up at WMSTR will already be established there in an already modified structure, or have their own portable setup. However, depending on the sophistication of the setup, there may not be many smiths who will work in the rain and high wind, if it happens. As with most exhibits at WMSTR, weather can make it or break it in terms of what will happen that day, and it seems to me that a feature like Blacksmithing will be more dependent on good weather if we want a good turnout. But we cannot control the weather, so what would be accommodations/regulations in regards rain or the other extreme - burning bans?
We will have to see what weather we get and take the reasonable precautions.
Minnesota does not require burning permits; "for a fire contained in a charcoal grill, camp stove, or other device designed for cooking or heating."
Removing all combustibles within five feet and only operating while being attended, with either a fire extinguisher or a sizable water filled quench bucket nearby should keep us safe.
Technically though, even the steamers could be shut down in a full burning ban.
"A burning ban is a restriction issued for a specified part of the state under extremely dry conditions in which existing burning permits are canceled and new permits not issued. Burning in approved burners, recreational fires, and even smoking outdoors may be prohibited, depending on the fire danger. This action is generally taken when fire risk becomes extreme across a broad area of the state. A burning ban is used only in the most severe conditions and is more restrictive."
The fire restrictions above come from the MN DNR website.
Clint