Today, Feb. 28, is the last day to enter the sweepstakes to win a Kershaw Whiplash knife, courtesy of BLADE magazine and Kershaw.
Entering is free. Click here.
ABS Planning to Double Size of Knife Expo
Looking a year in advance, the Board of the American Bladesmith Society voted to double the size of the 2012 Knife Expo to include an amazing assemblance of ABS Bladesmiths. In addition to that the Expo will have seminars going on and displays of historic knives from legends like Scagel.
The Board has also approved a measure to allow ABS Master and Journeyman Smith applicants to present their five knives for judging in San Antonio. This is NOT in place of the official testing at the BLADE Show, which will remain the testing grounds, but will be the first year that applicants will be judged outside of the BLADE Show. The Knife Expo is setting up a special testing section where the applicants for Journeyman and Master Smith can display and sell their knives.
The Expo has moved back to it’s old time slot of late January.
See the complete lineup of bladesmiths planning to exhibit at the 2012 Knife Expo by clicking here: http://www.absknifeexpo.com/exhibitors.htm.
Canceled: West Coast Custom Knife Show
Just received word that the West Coast Custom Knife Show has been canceled. Its website states the show has been “suspended until further notice.”
For reference, here are the now-defunct details:
Time: April 29, 2011 at 12pm to April 30, 2011 at 6pm
Location: Fess Parkers Double Tree Resort
Street: 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard
City/Town: Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Website or Map: http://www.wcckshow.com/
Event Type: knife, show
Organized By: Fifty-Fifty Productions
Ozarks, Keystone Knife Shows This Weekend
In search of some of the best in knives, and/or wanting to connect or reconnect with new/old friends? If you live near Ozark, Missouri, or Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, both areas will have knife shows this weekend.
A one-day-only event, the Knife Club of the Ozarks’ 15th Annual Spring Cabin Fever Knife Show will be Saturday in the 4H Building of Ozark’s City Park. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call Don Long at 417-485-6759 or Randy Long 417-581-8138.
Meanwhile, the Country Cupboard Inn just north of Lewisburg will host the 23rd Annual Keystone Blade Association Knife Show on Saturday and Sunday. The Country Cupboard Inn is on Rt. US 15, four miles south of Interstate 80. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information call or e-mail Marlyn Kepner at 570-584-4835/[email protected], or call Skip Fryling at 570-387-4955.
Sale of New Bear Grylls Compact Scout Knife Nets Funds for Boy Scouts
From Gerber Legendary Blades:
02.14.2011– Portland, OR – Gerber Legendary Blades, a leader in the knife and tool industry for over 70 years, is pleased support the Boy Scouts of America and the regional Cascade Pacific Council of the BSA.
With a promotion at the recent SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Gerber was able to raise over twenty-two thousand dollars though the sale of Gerber’s new Bear Grylls Compact Scout knife over the course of the four-day show. Proceeds from the sale went directly to the Boy Scouts of America Cascade Pacific Council , which provides services and youth-development programs to families and community organizations in eighteen counties of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington states.
According to Michael Egan, Director of Development for the Cascade Pacific Council of the BSA, the funds will be used for Camperships for low-income youth. “Each year we invest over $100,000 for at risk kids to go to camp, yet do not have an ongoing revenue source to pay for them,” explains Egan. “So, when funds like Gerber’s generous gift come through, we put it right towards the kids who need it most.”
“At Gerber, we really pride ourselves on leadership, responsibility and action, all core tenants of the Boy Scouts, so we are very pleased to lend our support to the organization,” said Corey Maynard, Director of Marketing for Gerber. “Furthermore, by donating funds to the Cascade Pacific Council we are able to give back to our local community, a community that has greatly supported Gerber over the years,” concluded Maynard.
The launch of the Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series, and Bear Grylls’ active role in the scouting movement, helped created a natural fit between Gerber and the Boys Scouts. In addition to the Bear Grylls Compact Scout knife, which helped raise funds from this sale, the 2011 Bear Grylls collection will feature a number of products including knives, tools and survival gear ideal for scouting.
Arkansas Custom Knife Show This Weekend!
If you are in the area and love great custom knives, check out the 16th Annual Arkansas Custom Knife Show at the Robinson Center Exhibiton Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas, this weekend, Feb. 12-13.
I just got off the phone with ABS master smith Roger Massey and e-mail with purveyor Les Robertson and they are both among the many outstanding knife personages who will exhibit and/or attend.
Show hours are 10-5 Saturday and 10-3 Sunday. Admission is $5. For more info call Chuck Ward at 501-778-4329 or e-mail him at [email protected].
Among the great makers who will be exhibiting include Tim Britton, J.R. Cook, Jim Crowell, Jerry Fisk, Ron Newton, John Perry, Lin Rhea, Kyle Royer, Mike Ruth, Michael Ruth Jr., Brion Tomberlin, Jim Walker, John White, Mike Williams and many, many more, suppliers and others–hopefully even you!
W.R. Case & Sons Launches Redesigned Website
Bradford, PA (February 9, 2011) –W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company has just launched its new and improved website, WRCase.com. The 600-plus page site was completely rebuilt over a six-month period by Case’s own Web Marketing Coordinator, Michael Granger, and supporting marketing staff. The result offers an easily navigable resource and information center for Case fans to enjoy from wherever they can connect.
Tom Arrowsmith, Case President and Chief Executive Officer, says, “Case has always felt it had the most beautiful website in the industry. At the same time we recognized the former site’s layout sometimes compromised our ability to deliver all the information our consumers might be looking for at a given time. This redesign addresses these issues without sacrificing the ‘aura’ behind the brand; the images and stories of our knives that we all share.”
New features include an easy-to-follow content guide at the bottom of the home page, offering users one-click access to particular topics of interest. Specific knives can be found by typing in related keywords into a convenient search box displayed on many of the pages throughout the site.
The hundreds of Case knives now being offered by Case Authorized Dealers are grouped on the website according to type of manufacture: Standard products, promotional products, licensed products, and commemoratives and collectables. Users can also browse knives by the type of blade steel. Additionally, every knife on the Case site can now be viewed in larger sizes and at a higher resolution than was formerly offered. A new “Special Programs” section explains Case’s special merchandising programs in detail: XX Vault, Rare Finds, XX Limited Edition, Pocket Worn®, XX Select, Case and Tony Bose collaborations, and Case’s corporate gift programs. Finally, Case collectors will find production checklists for specially-featured patterns.
Consumers will find several self-service and support options available on-line, including an interactive “Frequently Asked Questions” section and a timeline-based slide show which chronicles the various tang stamps used on Case knives throughout the company’s 122 year-old history.
Fred Feightner, Consumer Marketing and Communications Manager, credits Michael Granger, the company’s Web Marketing Coordinator, with implementing the redesign’s look and feel. “Mike’s work in the redesign of W.R. Case’s website not only gives our web visitors a richer experience, it sets a new standard for our industry and lays the foundation for future integration of newer applications and technologies.”
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