Category Archives: News

Candor Fall Festival Contests Oct. 7 & 8

The Candor Fall Festival Atlatl Contest will be held this weekend, Oct. 7 and 8, at the Side Hill Acres Goat Farm in Candor, NY.
The main day for the program will be Saturday, Oct. 7 at the goat farm where there will be local contests, demonstrations, an ISAC and an IAS contest. Both an ISAC and IAS contest will also be held on Sunday, Oct. 8.
In previous years, the atlatl contest has been held at Fallow Hollow Deer Farm in Candor in conjunction with the atlatl hunt. This year, the contests and demonstrations will take place at Side Hill Acres, Route 96, Candor (on the left as you are heading towards Spencer from Candor). There will be a morning hunt at Fallow Hollow for anyone interested. For further information and directions, contact Bob or Cheryll Berg at thunderbirdatlatl@gmail.com or 1-800-836-4520.
Congratulations to the winners of the Vermont and Massachusetts Atlatl Contests! Both events were very enjoyable. The Grand Champion of the Vermont contest Anna Milovich, 13, of Suffern, NY. Congratulations Anna. In Massachusetts, the Grand Champion was Scott Van Arsdale of Otego, NY, the WAA President. Congratulations Scotty.

Atlatl Contests, Aztec Atlatl Battle and More in Massachusetts!

The FOURTH ANNUAL MASSACHUSETTS ATLATL FIELD DAY AND ISAC will be held September 23 and 24 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers, Ma.
The event will feature atlatl throwing demonstrations open to all ages. Atlatl/dart building workshop by Bob Berg on both days. The Aztec Atlatl Battle Field Game will be featured both days. There will be three target ranges, distance range and ISAC both days.
Other featured items include:
Colonial Cooking & Handspinning in Nurse House
Artifact Displays – Refreshments Available
ENHA “Trails & Sails” Walk 11:00 AM Each Day

List of Participants:

• Bob and Cheryll Berg – Thunderbird Atlatl – Atlatl/Dart Sales – Atlatl/Dart Building Workshop
• “Trapper” John Enos – Arrow Building, Stone Knife Building, Flintknapping Workshops – Bow Sales
• Richard Parker – The Lithic Axe Factory – Hand Made Lithic Tools
• Scott Van Arsdale – Wasicun Stone Knives – Flintknapper and Knifemaker
• R. S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology at Phillips Andover – Donald Slater
• University of Southern Maine
• Franklin Pierce College
• Massachusetts Archaeological Society Northeast Chapter – Glenn Mairo
• Danvers Alarm List Co., Inc.

There will be flint knappers and lithic tool makers on site. Distance range. All held on the Rebecca Nurse Homestead grounds.
For further information contact Glenn Mairo by email or call at (978) 580-9437. Admission is free.

Candor Atlatl Contest

We spent the last two weekends at atlatl events in Massachusetts and Vermont – great events and congratulations to all those who participated!

Thunderbird Atlatl will be hosting atlatl contests and a morning atlatl hunt on October 7 in Candor, NY. The contests will be held at Side Hill Acres Goat Farm on Route 96, Candor, NY and the hunt will take place at the Fallow Hollow Deer Farm on Williams Road in Candor, NY. Please note the change for the atlatl contests as this is a change from previous years. The local contests, ISAC and IAS competitions will take place on Oct. 7 at the Goat Farm with ISACs and IAS competitions also scheduled for Oct. 8 at the Goat Farm. For directions, contact Bob or Cheryll Berg, 1-800-836-4520. There is a fee for the hunt, contact Bob or Cheryll for further information. The fee is shared between the hunters.

Vermont/Massachusetts Events

Thunderbird Atlatl will be in Addison, Vt. this weekend, Sept. 15 to 17 at the Eleventh Annual Northeastern Open Atlatl Championship held at the Chimney Point State Historic Site in Addison, Vt.
Situated along Long Champlain, the museum location is a beautiful site for this event. There will be an ISAC competition and local competitions. Flint knapping and other Native American life and craft demonstrations will be featured. The event is co-sponsored by Vermont Archaeological Society. The Saturday, Sept. 16, program begins at 10:30 a.m. and continues through 3:30 p.m. The program is part of Vermont Archaeology Month program. On Friday, Sept. 15, Bob and Cheryll Berg will offer an atlatl workshop at the museum from noon to 5 p.m. Call the museum to register or for more information: (802)759-2412 or ChimneyPoint@HistoricVermont.org
On Sept. 17, there will be a second ISAC Atlatl Championship at 10 a.m. (from 2 to 4 p.m.) Sunday Afternoon Specials Sunday afternoon specials include
Hands-on activities and period games. Learn about ancient stone tools or how to throw an atlatl, play period games, or enjoy other fun for all ages.

The FOURTH ANNUAL MASSACHUSETTS ATLATL FIELD DAY AND ISAC will be held September 23 and 24 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers, Ma.
The event will feature atlatl throwing demonstrations open to all ages. Atlatl/dart building workshop by Bob Berg on both days. The Aztec Atlatl Battle Field Game will be featured both days. There will be three target ranges, distance range and ISAC both days.
Other featured items include:
Colonial Cooking & Handspinning in Nurse House
Artifact Displays – Refreshments Available
ENHA “Trails & Sails” Walk 11:00 AM Each Day

List of Participants:

• Bob and Cheryll Berg – Thunderbird Atlatl – Atlatl/Dart Sales – Atlatl/Dart Building Workshop
• “Trapper” John Enos – Arrow Building, Stone Knife Building, Flintknapping Workshops – Bow Sales
• Richard Parker – The Lithic Axe Factory – Hand Made Lithic Tools
• Scott Van Arsdale – Wasicun Stone Knives – Flintknapper and Knifemaker
• R. S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology at Phillips Andover – Donald Slater
• University of Southern Maine
• Franklin Pierce College
• Massachusetts Archaeological Society Northeast Chapter – Glenn Mairo
• Danvers Alarm List Co., Inc.

There will be flint knappers and lithic tool makers on site. Distance range. All held on the Rebecca Nurse Homestead grounds.
For further information contact Glenn Mairo by email or call at (978) 580-9437. Admission is free.

News on the Atlatl Circuit/World Atlatl Association Meeting

There were a few personal bests during atlatl contests in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio over the last couple of weeks. Congratulations Devon, Bob and Doug!
The hospitality at Flint Ridge State Park was, as always, terrific and it was a good event for both atlatlists and flintknappers.
Ohio Atlatl Association members did a terrific job of letting a large number of people try out the atlatl. Thanks to Ray, Steve, Steve, Debbie, Connie and others who put everything together.
In honor and memory of our good friend and great atlatlist, Terry Keefer, atlatlists shed their footwear and competed barefooted!
Thank you to all who continue to work hard on this event and other atlatl events. We know a lot of effort and time went into the competitions and demonstrations at Letchworth State Park two weekends ago and the Pennsylvanai Atlatl Competition Labor Day Weekend. Thanks to Gary Fogelman and members of the NY and Pa Atlatl Associations for helping make sure these events were successful.
The World Atlatl Association meeting takes place this weekend at Cahokia in Illinois. Next year, the meeting will be at Letchworth State Park in New York.