Online Newsletters
April 2008 Newsletter
Volume VIII, Issue IV
Jonathan Reasor, Editor
ANNUAL PICNIC
11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. - SATURDAY - MAY 10, 2008
The Picnic will be at the Coon Hunters Club Retreat!
May’s newsletter will contain more information on this event!
Editor’s Message
Hello KCA members,
I have just gotten off the phone with our President, Glendon Downing and our Picnic is set for May 10 at the Coon Hunters Club Retreat, in case you missed the gigantic headline above. The Coon Hunters Club will be cooking
Burgers, Franks, Brats, Fish Sandwiches and fries; which we can purchase for a very reasonable price. Glendon was going to see about getting some members to bring some side dishes and desserts to go along with these items. We will have more information on the picnic at our meeting and in the next newsletter. Since we will be having a picnic in May, there will be no regular Monday night meeting on May 12th.
Now for some exciting club knife news: All the club knives are finished and I will start shipping them out next week. The Stag, Bone and Pearl knives are beautiful and can be purchased with the order form in the newsletter. All of this year’s knives are now on the website, www.kentuckycutlery.com, check them out and get your order in before they are all gone. Remember, all of this year’s knives had a limited run of only 25 of each and are going fast.
Now pay attention to what I am about to say, If you haven’t been to a knife meeting lately, the April meeting is the one to attend. Jerry Bodner has been working with fellow custom knife-maker and KCA member D. Holder to produce our first ever custom club knife for the KCA. D has agreed to make a 6 inch fixed blade pearl knife with a custom sheath for our 2008 club knife at a great price.
Bring your check book or cash because we are requiring a 50% deposit on these knives if you choose to order one. There is a limit of one knife per Member and they will be available on a first come first serve basis, with members attending the meeting getting the first chance to order. Those members that have ordered a 2007 club knife or knives and are having them shipped to them, will be receiving a special order form with their knives when they ship out next week. Any member that buys a 2007 club knife or knives before April 26, will also receive a special order form for this knife. The mail-in order form for this knife will be in the May issue of the Bolster if there are any still available, along with a more detailed description and picture. Jerry will have one of the knives at the meeting for the members to check out. A special thanks goes out to D and Jerry for bringing this special opportunity to our members.
No Directors Meeting this month but Glendon is asking all the officers to arrive at 6:30 PM so we can get some general housekeeping issues out of the way so the meeting will go faster.
Ben Gray has been busy scouting locations for our KCA Knife Show this fall. He has checked out several different sites and will be presenting his findings to the show committee soon. He has also been working with other knife show retailers to find a date that will get the best turn out in attendance and vendors for our show. Thanks for the hard work.
At the last meeting the members voted to award lifetime memberships to Barry Carithers, Paul Myers, D. Holder, Mike Pellegrin and Mike Tamboli. All these members have gone above and beyond in their support of the KCA through donations and service to the club. The KCA and its membership wishes to thank them for all that they have contributed.
There are a lot of exciting things happening at the KCA. Now is a great time to make a meeting or come out to the picnic and catch up with some old friends, trade some knives and have a good time.
Mike Carter - Master of our Domain! www.kentuckycutlery.com
If you haven’t visited the new KCA website, then you are missing out. Ben Gray generously donated the web space and domain name for our website and Mike used his magic to make it our web home. Mike has spent countless hours incorporating new features into the site.
You can now read the newsletters online, view and order club knives, read about our beloved KCA and even join the KCA just by clicking your mouse and printing out the forms.
Just this week Mike photographed every KCA club knife ever produced and posted them on the website. You can now browse the entire history of club knives that the KCA has produced including this years, which he has already posted. He also has a list of our club knives with production information as well as the original issue price and the current value.
If you have ideas for the website Mike would love to hear them. You can contact Mike at mike@cartercrafts.com
Thank you Mike for all of your hard work and for letting the whole world check out our great club!
THE ART OF AVOIDING IMPALEMENT or
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CIRCUS THROWING KNIFE
by Barry Carithers
The padded parcel from the United Kingdom was from a friend who had purchased several vintage sheath knives for me at a “boot sale” in southern England. Selling goods from the trunk or “boot” of their vehicles on large empty lots, is the British equivalent of American country flea markets. Several pre-WWII pieces appeared in newsprint wrappers including an usual stacked leather-handled throwing knife. Finding vintage throwing knives is certainly not a common occurrence, but this quality piece caught my immediate attention.
Lacking
a tang stamp but obviously factory-made, the knife was found with a tiny cloth
strip ringing the narrow part of the pommel. The red print was dirty and
slightly faded but the letters “PROP. BERTRAM MILLS” were still quite visible. A
few minutes of work on a computer search engine site produced the name of the
Bertram Mills Circus, a popular British circus of the 1930’s thru 1960’s era.
This circus, the Ringing Brothers of the U.K., apparently had this edged piece
“disappear” from it’s ownership some time in the past. Reflecting on what
interesting circus tales the knife could possibly tell brings me to a very brief
history of the art of circus Impalement artist.
Knife throwing was popularized in America in the late 19th century by the Barnum & Bailey Circus. The classic drama of the traditional female figure as an outline target for the knife thrower’s skill was always a money generator of circuses and side shows. It might be noted though that some acts also used men and young children as their human targets. The assistant might have been placed on a spinning board, or positioned in other trick poses performed with the basic knife throwing format. The impalement artist might have also been blindfolded, or handicapped in a number of other ways thus making the assistant’s perilous situation even more dramatic. One side show even featured an armless female knife thrower who apparently was very skilled at knife throwing with her toes!
These impalement artists adopted an array of costumes, from the Wild West cowboy to the brightly dressed gypsy. The assistants also attired themselves in outfits denoting a theme, such as an Indian maiden or gypsy princess. With the advent of television and thriller theme movies, the traveling circus with its unique entertainment artists fell out of favor with the public. Along with their colorful printed vintage posters, the costumes and equipment of old-time circus performers have become quite collectable among circus aficionados. Good hunting!
Minutes - March Meeting Respectfully Submitted by Jonathan Reasor
The meeting was called to order by President Glendon Downing at 7:00 P.M on March 10, 2008 at the V.F.W. Post 8639. Members said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Æ Treasurers report was accepted as read by Jonathan Reasor.
Æ There was a short discussion regarding a 2008 KCA Knife Show. Ben Gray said he is researching locations and dates for the show.
Æ Ben Gray said that the 2007 club knives will be available at the next meeting.
Æ Jerry Bodner brought the club up to date on the 2008 Custom Club Knife. D’ Holder has agreed to make six inch pearl knives with custom sheaths for the group. The club decided to require a 50% deposit on the knife and limit it to 1 per member. The issue price will be $250.00 for members. The group also discussed requiring a 50% deposit on future club knives to more accurately access the proper quantities to have produced.
Æ The members decided to talk to Clarence Risner about getting the 3 Eye Pearl Congress 4 blade as a possible 2008 Folding club knife.
Æ The group voted to make Barry Carithers, Paul Myers, D. Holder, Mike Pellegrin and Mike Tamboli lifetime members. All of these men have been very generous and faithful members. Thank you for your support.
Æ Glendon Downing talked about plans for the May Picnic and asked Eddy McIntosh to help set it up with the Coon Hunters Club.
Æ The 50/50 auction made $57.00 with Jonathan Reasor winning and the Choice knife raffle raised $60.00 with Mike Carter taking home the prize.
Meeting was adjourned.
April 11-13 ~ NKCA Wilmington,
Ohio Spring Knife Show
For more information call (423) 875-6009
or e-mail: NKCALisa@hotmail.com
April 18-19 ~ Mason Dixon
Knife Club Annual Show
Frederick Fairgrounds Bldg 14A, 797 E.
Patrick St, Frederick, MD.
Contact William Crilley 717.762.4530.
April 19-20 ~ TRI-STATE Gun &
Knife Show, Evansville, IN
National Guard Armory, For information
call (812)521-9367
April
19-20 ~ Wolverine Knife Collectors Club Show
& Michigan Antique Arms Collectors Show
Rock Financial Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI.
Contact Pat Donovan 586.786.5549 or Frank Meek 586.264.2031.
April 26-27 ~ TRI-STATE Gun &
Knife Show, New Albany, IN
National Guard Armory, For information
call (812)521-9367
May 3-4 ~ NCCA 26th Annual
Extravaganza Show
at the Hilton in Mystic, CT.
Contact Moe Legare 401.769.6902 or
suzukisamm@coxx.net or Norm Bardsley 401.725.9132 or
norm.bardsley@verizon.net.
May 3-4 ~ ABS Spring Hammer In
at Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing
Washington, AR.
Contact Scotty Hayes, School Directors 903.838.4541 ext. 237.
May 17-18 ~ Metro Illinois,
St Louis, MO area, St Charles, MO area Knife Show
VFW Post 2866, 66 VFW Lane, St Charles,
MO.
Contact B.A. Adams 618.656.9868 or
adamsinternational@yahoo.com.
May 23-25 ~ Shepherdsville, KY
Spring Knife Show
Paroquet Springs Conf Center in
Shepherdsville, KY 40165 (Exit #11750 off I-65), 395 Paroquet Springs Dr,
Shepherdsville, KY 40165.
Hotels available are Best Western 502.543.7097 or Country Inn & Suites
502.543.8400 or Days Inn 502.543.3011 or Motel 6 502.543.4400.
Contact NKCA for table reservations at 423.228.2654 or e-mail
Lisa@NKCAknife.org.
May 30-June 1 ~ 2008 Blade
Show & International Cutlery Fair
Cobb Galleria Centre & Renaissance Waverly
Hotel in Atlanta, GA.
Contact Blade Shows 877.756.9757 or 715.445.4612 ext. 313 Mary Lutz.
June 12-14 ~ Parkers' Greatest
Knife Show on Earth
Sevierville Events Center at Bridgemont,
located off Hwy 66 in Sevierville, TN.
Contact Ed Henley 423.892.0448.
Jerry Bodner Miniature Raffle!
Jerry Bodner has donated another beautiful mini knife for the KCA to raffle off as a fundraiser for the club. The knife is a Jerry Bodner Miniature with a D’ Holder style drop point blade that has beautiful file work, a yellow-horse style handle with abalone, coral and turquoise. It is a gorgeous knife and it comes in an engraved presentation box. This knife will be awarded at our annual Christmas Party. The knife will be at the KCA meeting for viewing. Tickets will be 3 for $5.00. Thanks again Jerry for your generous contributions to the club.
Correction:
I had incorrectly stated that this was a D’ Holder custom knife, that was wrong.
It is a Jerry Bodner Custom with a D’ Holder Style Blade. Sorry for the mistake.
CLICK HERE for a printable Raffle Ticket
April 2008 Newsletter
Kentucky Cutlery Association
626 West Woodlawn Ave.
Louisville, KY 40215
Phone: (502)367-6772
www.kentuckycutlery.com
Jonathan
Reasor, Editor
E-mail: kca@insightbb.com
Officers
President - Glendon Downing
Vice-President - Mac Howard (270)877-5718
Secretary - Jonathan Reasor (502)367-6772
Treasurer - Gary Reasor (502)367-6772
Sergeant at Arms - Ben Gray
Board Directors
Deborah Buchanan - 2
Jim Haberman - 2
Dan Johnson - 2
Bill Medlock - 2
Dale Greenwell - 1
Robert Grenwell - 1
Joe Jones - 1
Kentucky Oaks - May 2, The 134th Running of the Kentucky Derby - May 3, KCA Picnic - May 10
Knife Swap ~ Every Monday Morning, 8:00 A.M. at Hardee’s Restaurant, 9506 Taylorsville Road
2008 MEETING DATES
April 14th
May 10th - Picnic at Coon-hunters
June 9th
July - Picnic
August 11th
September 8th
October 13th
November 10th
December - Party
Meetings
are held at the V.F.W. Post.
The address is 4205 Lambert, which is located off Preston Hwy in Okolona.
CLICK HERE for a map.
Click HERE for the order form.
