The Thunderbird Atlatl crew is back from the 40th Pennsic War. As usual, we had a great time at Pennsic! This year, there were two Atlatl Battles above the castle. Nearly 100 people took part in the two atlatl battles. There were over 60 people participating in the second battle on Thursday.
The weather for both nights was great as teams tried to discover who the other teams Shaman was. Atlatl battles at Pennsic are always a highlight of our summer and we look forward to continuing the tradition next year an in years to come!
We will be at the Stonetool Show at Letchworth the end of August and at Flint Ridge over Labor Day.

Strategizing for the Atlatl Battle

Getting Ready to Attack those Hay Bales!

Combatants prepare to move to the battlefield!

From the moment we boarded the ferry in France to cross the channel into Dover, England, we knew we were in good hands with our English hosts! Steve Medlock texted us before we boarded the ferry and on our two hour trip across. As we left the ferry and entered on to English soil, Steve was waiting to lead us to the campground.
We arrived (after following Steve’s car through the English countryside and driving on the opposite of the road we were accustomed to!) after 11 p.m. to find a tent entirely set up for us with sleeping bags, cots, air mattresses, a refrigerator with food in it, a stove, lights, flashlights and an United States flag flying in the front! The next day Bob met with Steve and a great group to offer a workshop. The workshop continued on Sunday. We can not thank our English hosts enough for their kind welcome and for preparing great accommodations.
Following the workshops, Steve transported us to airports, took us on tours around the countryside and helped us find items we needed. Thanks Steve. Steve and Neal (accompanied by his delightful 10-month-old daughter) gave us a great tour of Lewes on Wednesday, July 20. On Friday, Steve and his son, Chris, returned to the campsite and took down the tent and packed away the camping supplies with our son, Peter, and his friend, Chris. Peter and Chris left to start their Mongol Rally adventure During their trip, they will be demonstrating atlatls and hope to put on an atlatl contest in Mongolia at the end of their journey.

Atlatl Rattle
The Atlatl Rattle is this weekend July 21 to 24 in Hancock, NY. It’s a great event along the Delaware River. We will try to be there but might not be able to make it since we are just getting back from Europe. Have a great time! Ray Turner is a wonderful host.

We are having a wonderful time visiting our European friends and demonstrating and showing the atlatl at various programs in Germany, Denmark and soon England!

The Weigel family have been terrific hosts and have helped us a lot during our visit. They have helped our son, Peter, prepare his team’s car for the upcoming Mongol Rally which begins July 23 in London. Peter, Chris Burt and Jeff Andrews will drive a tiny Fiat to Mongolia to London. They are talking about bringing atlatls with them and demonstrating on the way! A few years ago, Ray Strischek’s son, Corey and his girlfriend, also participated in the Mongol Rally. Corey has offered lots of advice and assistance.

We will post photos and provide more information as we get better internet access. A special thanks to Michelle Brophy, Martha and Danny for keeping Thunderbird Atlatl in good shape on the home front!

Thunderbird Atlatl is busy getting ready for our upcoming summer schedule which will include a few weeks in Germany and other parts of Europe this summer. We will be arriving in Germany June 28 and will be attending two shows the first two weekends of July. We will be listing those in a few days and will be updating our event calendar!
We had a wonderful time at two new venues in New Jersey and upstate (way upstate!) New York! We were at the Salem County, NJ Arts in Bloom program May 21 and 22. This was the first Primitive Arts and Flintknapping Gathering in Alloway, NJ. The program set the groundwork for primitive art shows in upcoming years.
Memorial Day Weekend we were at Marty Simon’s Wilderness Learning Center in Chateaugay, NY. This is a great place for anyone wanting to learn primitive skills. Along with Marty’s wealth of knowledge, he assembles a great group of instructors and you are within a stone’s throw of the Canadian border! The Center offers another free weekend for all on Labor Day. Wilderness Learning Center’s address is 435 Sandy Knoll Road, Chateaugay, NY 12920.
Check out their web page http://www.weteachu.com/ or give them a call at 518-497-3179 between 6 a.m. & 9 p.m.