Come out and join Thunderbird Atlatl at the 32nd annual Stone Tool Craftsman show at Letchworth State Park near Mt. Morris, NY August 26 to August 28.
The event will feature Dr. Michael Stafford. His ability to recreate various types of Scandinavian stone daggers is most impressive. He is a master flintknapper of the highest order. Mike will be giving a presentation on Saturday evening at 7 PM that you won’t want to miss!
There will be many vendors and lots of atlatl events! We look forward to seeing you there.
Atlatlists at a previous Stone Tool Show. Come join us!
Labor Day weekend, Thunderbird Atlatl will be at Flint Ridge State Park in Brownsville, Ohio.
Thunderbird Atlatl will be at two Florida shows this month! This weekend we are at the Silver River Knapin at Silver River State Park in Silver Springs, Florida. Come visit us on Saturday, February 15, and Sunday, February 16. Check out the poster for the event: Silverriver poster 2020
Thunderbird Atlatl will be escaping the Northeast cold for a couple of weeks and will be attending two knapins in Florida.
We will be at the Silver River Knap-In Saturday, Feb. 17 & Sunday, Feb. 18 at Silver Springs State Park in Silver Springs, Florida. There will be International Standard Accuracy Competitions on Friday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 17, at 4 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m. For further information contact Silver Rivers Museum at Silver Springs State Park at (352) 236-5401. The museum is located at 1445 NE 58th Avenue · Ocala, Florida 34470. It is located within the Silver River State Park. The park is situated off Baseline Road (CR 35) and one mile south of SR 40.
1445 NE 58th Avenue · Ocala, Florida 34470
www.silverrivermuseum.com
Ochlockonee River State Park is located four miles southwest of Sopchoppy off of US Highway 319, 429 State Park Road, Sopchoppy, Florida 32358. For further information contact Kristin Ebersol, park manager, at 850-962-2771 or email: Kristin.Ebersol@dep.state.fl.us
Bob Berg leading an atlatl workshop at Chimney PointAtlatl Workshop Participants trying out atlatlsCome to Vermont, enjoy the beauty of the fall in New England and build your own atlatl and darts!
Bob Berg of Thunderbird Atlatl will offer our annual Atlatl Workshop at the Chimney Point Historic Site. September 18 from noon to 5 p.m. The program is hosted by the Vermont State Historic site. The Chimney Point State Historic Site borders Lake Champlain at 7305 Vt Route 125, West Addison, Vermont.
Bob will teach traditional and modern techniques of atlatl and dart construction, flint knapping, hafting stone points, and cordage making. Enjoy atlatl lore and coaching on the use of your new atlatl. Bob’s been here each of the 20 years of this event! $65 includes instruction and materials. Pre-registration required. Call 802-759-2412 to register. After making your own atlatl and darts, consider competing in the annual atlatl competition the next day!
20th Annual Northeast Open Atlatl Championship
Participate in or watch this annual championship. The sport of atlatl throwing is based on the ancient hunting technique of using the atlatl or spear thrower. Demonstrations and workshops on flint knapping, Woodland pottery, and other crafts and skills. Vermont Archaeology Month program. Saturday, September 19
The museum opens at 9:30 a.m. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. there will be ancient craft demonstartions on the museum lawn and porch. Bob and Cheryll Berg, hafting points and atlatl-making; Charlie Paquin, Woodland pottery (hands-on!), and Barry Keegan, flint-knapping.
The atlatl competitions start at 11 a.m. with the International Standard Accuracy Competition. The schedule is as follows:
10:30 – 12:30 Atlatl Championship registration
10:30 – 11:00 ISAC Practice Time
11:00 International Standard Accuracy Competition
11:00-12:00 Master coaching: Try the atlatl with expert guidance.
Look for signs in competition area.
11:30 – 12:30 Warm-up and Practice for Open Championship
11:30 Food and snacks on & near Museum porch while it lasts.
12:30 Celebratory Flight: Join the mass spear throw to commemorate our 2Oth year!
Bob Berg, Introduction to the Atlatl at Target Zone
Open Championship events begin. Accuracy & Distance for Men, Women, Girls, and Boys
Approx. 3:00 Award ceremony on Museum front lawn
Grand Champion Shoot-Out between top finishers & Grand Championship Award ceremony
After awards 20th Anniversary Celebration: Enjoy cake & ice cream!
History Mystery Scavenger Hunt prizes awarded
5:30 Museum closes
Sunday, September 20
9:30 Museum Opens
10:00 International Standard Accuracy Competition
1. They are cool because not everyone has one!
Fewer than one out of a thousand people in the United States have one and many people don’t even know what they are.
2. They are fantastic wall decorations. Atlatls and darts make great conversation starters because they are rare, interesting and not many people know what they are.
3. There’s two ways to say atlatl. You can say “at-latl†or “atl-atlâ€
4. Atlatls and darts are a great family activity. You and your children will enjoy atlatl outings or backyard atlatl activities. It will get you all out of the house and away from your electronics.
5. Atlatls are just plain fun. It is fun to shoot something that goes farther and faster than you would expect it to.
6. Great way to make new friends. People who come to atlatl events are just fun to be around. Remember they are cool to begin with.
7. Kids can cast them. We have seen children from 3 on up casting darts with atlatls.
8. Old people can cast them too. We have seen people 80 and older using an atlatl.
9. Intergenerational sharing. People of all ages can enjoy atlatl events together. Showing how to cast an atlatl
10. It’s a gift you can’t get at a big box store. When was the last time you found an atlatl in your local shopping mall? Atlatls are what you get for the person who already has everything.
11. They have history. Atlatls have been used for more than 12,000 years. That’s a lot of history. Cortez fought against the Aztecs who used atlatls.
12. They’re primitive. Atlatls and darts were one of the first weapon systems ever devised by humankind. All of us have ancestors who survived, nay thrived because they were masters of the atlatl and dart.
13. They’re survival tools. You can learn to make an expedient atlatl in almost any location for hunting, fishing and self-defense to help you survive in adverse situations.Making your own atatl in Sussex, England
14. You can hunt with them. People have been using atlatls to hunt with for at least 12,000 or maybe at least 60,000 years. New laws allow atlatl deer hunting in Missouri, Alabama, and Nebraska. Many states allow small game hunting and wild boar hunting.
15. You can fish with them. Atlatl fishing is one of the most exciting ways to fish. Instead of the fish choosing you, you choose the fish. Atlatls cast harpoons much deeper and with more penetration than can be achieved with bow fishing. Check your local fishing regulations first.
16. Amaze your friends and confound your enemies with your atlatls and darts! Show your friends your new skill.
17. You can go places with atlatls and compete in contests. You can compare your score to everybody else’s in the world through the World Atlatl Associations International Standard Accuracy Contest or ISAC.
18. There’s a World Atlatl Association that ties everyone who plays with atlatls together in a network. You can join for a year for a very minimal amount and receive a newsletter.
19. You can do atlatl physics. Who says physics is incomprehensible. With an atlatl you can see physics in action! Energy equals the velocity squared times the mass.
20. You can use an atlatl as sculpture piece, woodcarving or woodworking project. Atlatls and darts are beautiful.
21. You can learn how to knap flint so you can tip your darts with stone points like the Native Americans did long ago. Isn’t that why many people start using an atlatl in the first place?
22. You can test your math skills by scoring contests. When a group of eager contestants surround you after a contest, you will have all your calculations completed!
23. You can make your own atlatl. Go out into the forest and you can make a great primitive atlatl or better yet, check out one of our atlatl kits.
24. Take your date on an atlatl outing. Your date will be astounded by your romance, creativity and innovation.
25. Fantastic educational devices. Teachers, you can teach history, archaeology, anthropology, physics, math and more with an atlatl.
26. Atlatls are great for Summer Camp. You can entertain a group of youngsters at camp with ever increasing enthusiasm. Youth can spend hours of sheer joy with an atlatl at the range.
27. Atlatls make great school science projects for school. Just think of all the science lessons you can build around the atlatl. They make a fascinating display that your teachers and parents will be thrilled with for an A+.
28. They are interesting to discover in museums. It is amazing to see how many different types of atlatls were used by our ancestors, the kinds of darts our ancestors used and view the collections of projectile points on display.
29. Atlatls and darts can help you develop a healthy low impact exercise program. You will get plenty of walking and arm exercises, and you can do it with a small group of your friends
30. And you can get your atlatls and darts right here.
