The New England atlatl community is going strong this spring! Two events were held in Vermont and Maine the last weekend of April. Another event is set for June 14 in Vermont!
John Morris sent out the following report on the Vermont event. Here is John’s report:
“Greg Maurer put on a terrific atlatl competition at “The North Country Atlatl Open” in Williston, Vermont (April 26). It was a ground breaking event for us in New England… The first tournament here, sponsored by the New York Atlatl Association.. The NYAA president, Doug Bassett, was there and introduced us all to many competitions previously unknown to many.
The weather forecast was for rain showers but it turned out to be a perfect day. We had a small but enthusiastic group of people there, including first time atlatlists.”
“Greg has a second Atlatl open coming on Saturday June 14. It also will include the: ISAC, IASAC, The NYAA** events, a moving target, a Clay Pigeon shoot, plus balloon targets ect for kids of all ages.
The second open will be at the same place. The North Country Sportsman’s [Gun] Club, Williston Vermont.”
John has put together an email list of New England Atlatlists if you are interested in being included, email John at faywood@sover.net
The Thunderbird Atlatl staff was at the University of Southern Maine for the school’s third annual knap-in. There was a small but steady crowd at the event. There was a lot of interest from those attending. Participants were able to learn flint knapping, fire building, cordage skills, atlatl building, pottery skills and more. The students set up an atlatl range on a soccer field. We look forward to next year’s event.
Off to Maine
The Thunderbird Atlatl staff will be in Maine this weekend for the University of Maine’s third annual knap-in. The event will take place April 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the University of Maine campus at Gorham, Maine. The program takes place in and around Bailey Hall. Check out the website at
Admission is free to the public. Donations are welcome to help out with the event. For more information contact help@usmknapin.com or call the Geography-Anthropology Department at (207) 780-5321.
Here is a schedule of events:
SATURDAY, APRIL 26TH, 2008
All Day Flintknapping
FREE Richard Doyle and John Cross will be giving flintknapping demonstrations (and advice) in 321 Bailey Hall. Anyone interested will have a chance to make their own stone tool and to purchase raw material or finished pieces! While everyone is welcome to participate, children MUST be supervised by an adult.
All Day Atlatl Demonstrations and Beginners’ Range
FREE Don’t worry if you’ve never done it – we’ll show you! Demonstrations will be given behind Bailey Hall and the range will be set up on the soccer field. Stop by the main table for maps and more information about atlatls.
All Day Pottery Making
FREE Head down to the Ceramics Studio and make your own prehistoric pottery. Charlie Paquin from the University of Vermont will be working with U.S.M. Art students to show participants the basics of pottery making. Pieces will be pit-fired on site and can be taken home.
Great for kids!
Hourly
Beginning 11:00am GIS (Geographic Information Systems) “Scavenger Hunt” and Presentations
FREE We have a list of locations on campus logged into our GPS units (global positioning system). Borrow one for an hour and take a tour of U.S.M.! While you’re in room 302 in Bailey Hall, check out some of the places in the world where U.S.M. students are doing research.
All Day Kid’s Room
FREE Not all activities are appropriate for small children. We are creating a kids’ room with coloring, yarn basket weaving and some other fun activities for those too young to participate in other events. Feel free to visit Room 319 in Bailey Hall with the kids!
Beginning 11:30am Picnic Style Buffet Lunch
$5.00 Cold cuts, salads, chips and dessert will be offered. Lunch is free for volunteers!
Contact us for details.
All Day Make Your Own Atlatl Workshop
$25.00 Bob Berg (Thunderbird Atlatl) and his wife, Cheryll, will be outside Bailey Hall giving instruction on how to make an atlatl. Make your own to take with you or purchase one ready made.
12:00pm to 2:00pm Friction Fire Workshop
FREE Representatives from the Maine Primitive Skills School be showing us how to make fire using a friction bow. This will be taking place outside, behind Bailey Hall.
2:00pm to 3:00pm
Presentation: Edible Plants
This presentation by the Maine Primitive Skills School will address ways to identify edible plants (and look-alikes), uses and foraging techniques.
3:00pm to 4:00pm Fiber Workshop
FREE The Maine Primitive Skills School will also explore the fibers available locally, what they are best utilized for, and spend some time making cordage.
All Day Presentation:
Zooarchaeology Dr. Dinah Crader and her Zooarchaeology II class will be presenting their research on horse remains from Aissa Dugjé, an archaeological site in Cameroon.
All Day Artifact Displays Dr. Nathan Hamilton will be displaying artifacts from archaeological excavations, including sites from Casco Bay and southern Maine.
All Day Student Research View posters created by our majors to display current research. Look for us in the hallways on the third floor of Bailey Hall.
Upcoming Programs! World Atlatl Association Annual Meeting
Check out the pictures and stories from this year’s World Atlatl Association meeting at the Valley of Fire in Nevada. The event was held the weekend of April 4 to 8.
Pictures and information can be found on the Paleoplanet site at href=”http://http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/16631?page=1″>
Looks like everyone had a great time!
Check out upcoming events on the World Atlatl Association event page at href=”http://www.atlatl.bravehost.com/”>
Atlatl Challenge! Congratulations Doug Bassett!!
Knowing that scores can change quickly, we still think it’s important to note that at the moment Doug Bassett of New York holds an Atlatl Triple Crown!!
As of March 18th, it looks like Doug was holding the top scores in the following events:
#1 WAA – 94-X in ISAC (The World Atlatl Association’s International Standard Accuracy Contest) done on 3/15/08
#1 IAS – 101-XXX (The International Atlatl Society’s Accuracy Contest) done on 1/12/08
#1 Distance – 215.5m (707′ or 235.7yds) done on 3/18/08
Congratulations Doug! The above scores were posted by Scott Van Arsdale on the Paleo Planet website. The World Atlatl Association annual meeting at Valley of Fire is coming up in two weeks, we’ll let you know if anyone breaks Doug’s winning streak!
Still a few more updates on the web page!
The pictures are back in the catalog section of this web page – thanks to our webmaster – Peter Berg’s efforts! The order form is not going through all way and that should be corrected in the next few hours – again, thanks to Peter!
In the meantime, if you want to submit an order, just give us a call at 1-800-836-4520 or 607-659-3854. Or you can email us directly at: contact@thunderbirdatlatl.com or thunderbirdatlatl@gmail.com
Thanks for your patience and we will continue to keep this web page updated and current. In April, we will be back on the road again with a workshop in Maine at the end of the month. We will post more information on that in a couple of weeks. The World Atlatl Association will be meeting the first weekend of April at Valley of Fire in Nevada. We would like to be there but it doesn’t look like we will be able to make it this year.