Tag Archives: florida

Florida ISACs, contests held despite weather & location obstacles!

International Standard Accuracy Contests (ISACs) are always a draw for atlatlists but the Florida ISACS in February faced some challenges! The first ISACS at Letchworth Love State Park had to be moved to just outside the park gate when the state park did not have a safety officer available!

The hay bale target inside the park was moved to just outside the gates to county property and with the goodwill of the park’s neighboring property owner, the contest continued! Photo below: Thunderbird Atlatl’s set up at the Letchworth Love State Park.

In Silver Springs, the knapin (as was the Daytona 500) was cancelled because of rain! Yes, it did rain a lot! Greg Mauer found an alternate site at a local archery club and the ISAC went on Saturday morning before the heavy rains hit! Photos below: Greg Maurer, Donna McCracken and Bob Berg compete in an ISAC in Silver Springs, Florida.

In the photo below, Bob Berg straightens cane darts. Bob Berg with the help of Florida State Park Ranger George Royal and Greg Maurer on video put together a video on the differences between River Cane and Japanese Bamboo.

Silver River Knapin Cancelled!

The Silver River Knapin has been cancelled for 2024. We will try to set up an atlatl contest in the Gainesville, Florida area. Watch for updates.

Silver River sent out the following annoucement:

,”After a lot of consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Silver River Knap-In and Prehistoric Arts festival this weekend due to the persistent rainy weather forecast on Saturday and Sunday. We know from experience this will result in a very low attendance. We rely on gate admission income to cover event expenses.
The event will not be rescheduled but we do plan to hold it as normal in 2025. We apologize for this but we wanted to notify everyone in advance so that plans could be changed.
There is another knap-in the following weekend near the Flint River in Georgia. For more information about that event please contact John Lane at flintriverknapin@gmail.com.
If you are from out of state and are in need of camping accommodations this weekend, please call me here at the museum so that we can discuss options with you (352) 236-5401.
Thank you all and we are sorry for any problems this causes.”
Ph. (352) 236-5401
www.SilverRiverMuseum.comThunderbird Atlatl will be at the Silver River Knapin at Silver River State Park February 17 & 18.

Visit Thunderbird Atlatl in Florida

Thunderbird Atlatl has left the northeast for the warmer weather for two upcoming shows. We will be at the Silver River Knap In and Stone Age Arts Festival Saturday, February 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, February 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Silver Springs State Park is located at 1425 NE 58 Avenue, Ocala, Florida. Festival admission is $5 per person. Expert flint knappers, archaeologists, potters, hide tanners, bow makers and other specialists in prehistoric skills will gather from across the eastern U.S. to demonstrate and sell their arts. There will be atlatl demonstrations and ISAC competitions for those interested in trying an atlatl competition.

Visitors try the atlatl at Silver River State Park. Come to Silver River and try the atlatl this weekend. We look forward to seeing you!

We move north the following weekend to the 12th annual Stone Age & Primitive Arts Festival at Ochlockonee River State Park,429 State Park Road, Sopchoppy, Florida 32358. Admission is $4 per vheicle. Contact the park at (850) 962-2771. The program is Friday, February 22nd to Sunday, 24th 201 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be atlatl demonstrations and contests including ISACs all weekend.

Video: Atlatl Fishing for Sheepshead in Florida

We have just put up a new atlatl fishing video from this year’s trip to Florida. Bob takes his atlatl and harpoon out to the piers near Dunedin Causeway in Tampa Bay to fish for Sheepshead – a type of shellcracker fish that eats the barnacles that grow on the piers. Bob uses his new “Canoe-Maran” boat made with Expand-A-Craft pontoons that we purchased on this trip.

Thanks to our talented son, Peter Berg, for the amazing video work, and friends, James Mead and Charles Bracken, for all their help on the fishing expeditions.

We are looking forward to spring weather. It has been a long winter in New York even with a break for the Florida shows. It is a great time to start planning your atlatl adventures for the next few months. The best way is to check out the atlatl events on the World Atlatl Association page. You and anyone in your household can join the World Atlatl Association for $15 annually. It is easy to join by going to this link. We hope to see you at an atlatl event.

Thunderbird Atlatl in Florida

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

The following weekend we will be attending and demonstrating at the 11th Annual Ochlockonee River State Park Stone Age and Primitive Arts Festival. The event will be Friday, February, 23rd; Saturday, February 24th and Sunday, February 25th. There will be ISACs at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m.

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