The BLADE Blogs

If you’re driving south to Atlanta for BLADE Show on I-24, here’s a heads up from the folks in Tennessee. You can read the full release here.

More than 80,000 Expected in Manchester Area for Ninth Annual Music and Arts Festival

NASHVILLE – For nine years, Middle Tennessee has played host to one of the premiere live music events in the country – the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.  The popular festival has people from all walks of life and from all corners of the country making the small city of Manchester in Coffee County their temporary home for several days each June.  As in years past, more than 80,000 music lovers are expected to attend this year’s festival, which kicks off Thursday night, June 10, and winds down Sunday night, June 13.

As Manchester prepares to welcome the multitude of visitors to their city, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Tennessee Highway Patrol do some preparing of their own by gearing up for the extra traffic expected in the area resulting from Bonnaroo attendees. With 80,000 festival-goers converging at an old farm site in Coffee County, the area in and around Manchester always sees much heavier traffic throughout the festival.

• Efforts will be concentrated on keeping interstate traffic flowing.
• Exit 111 (SR 55) will be used as the main festival exit. Exits 97, 105, 112 (temporary exit on westbound side only), 117 and 127 are alternate exits if congestion occurs on the interstate.
• TDOT maintenance units will be posted throughout the festival region, and maintenance personnel will be on call all weekend.
• TDOT will provide variable message signs to warn drivers of delays.
• There will be no construction-related lane closures on I-24 near the Bonnaroo festival area between 3 p.m. June 9 and June 14.
• Median crossovers will be guarded to prevent motorists from parking in the crossovers and blocking emergency vehicles.
• Festival traffic will be kept in the right lane and/or on the shoulder of the interstate, allowing through traffic to utilize the left travel lane unimpeded.
• Emergency vehicles will use county roads that will be kept at low volume.
• Bonnaroo promoters issued early news releases to the trucking industry and other sources to alert the traveling public to festival times, location, and alternate routes.
• Temporary communication towers are in place to improve emergency communications.

From Knife Rights

The June 28 decision by the Supreme Court in McDonald v. Chicago incorporating the Second Amendment to the states is an important victory in the fight to protect the individual right to keep and bear arms. Congratulations are in order to the Second Amendment Foundation, who was the prime sponsor of the effort on behalf of the litigants, to attorney Alan Gura who developed the case and the strategy and then along with the NRA argued the case before the court, and to all who submitted supporting briefs.

From the perspective of knife owners, this decision, like Heller before it, includes a reference to knives in support of the majority opinion. In this case, it is reference to the abrogation by states of the civil rights of African Americans after the Civil War, prohibiting their possession of a number of named arms, including “dirk or bowie knife.”

There is no question that this decision gives those of us fighting for our knife rights another arrow in our quiver, one with a nice sharp point. It sets the stage for further advancements via both legislation and the courts. With the Second Amendment confirmed now as both an individual right and the law of the land, it becomes easier to make the argument in legislatures and elsewhere to remove unreasonable restrictions on knives. The key issue is the term “reasonable.”

The court made it very clear that the decision does not eradicate all laws restricting firearms in particular, or by implication, all arms, including knives, in general. What is reasonable and what is not will be decided over the next few years by court cases challenging the inevitable tidal wave of restrictive regulations that will be implemented by those who remain opposed to freedom and self-defense.

Some of those cases will inevitably end up back at the Supreme Court. A single swing vote on the Supreme Court could wipe away these gains and could essentially gut the Second Amendment, individual right and incorporated as it now is. Think about that when you vote for your Senators and President.

With this decision we are better armed for the fight for our knife rights, but it does not settle many of the real issues regarding knife sale, ownership, purchase and carry that we deal with daily. It will still be a hard slog through the legislature and the courts to determine what is reasonable and what is not.

You can read the complete decision here: www.KnifeRights.org/mcdonaldopinion08-1521.pdf

With The Expendables leading in box office receipts for the second weekend in a row, the current issue of the November BLADE with Gil Hibben’s knife for Sly Stallone in the movie on the cover is no doubt flying off newsstands.

Linda Hibben told me she, Gil and Mike went to see the movie and, of course, really enjoyed it. (What’s not to like with Gil’s knives in it?) She also said Gil received recognition for the knife in the credits at the end of the movie, which is somewhat unusual these days as most movies no longer give such credit to knifemakers and/or knife companies for their knives. Apparently, the main reason for that is all the royalties movie production companies can make off knife reproductions these days.

Linda also said if the movie makes a pre-set amount of money, there will probably be a sequel. The way things are looking in the movie’s box-office performance so far, chances look good that pre-set amount will be met.

Knife Showcase will be getting a redesign in the coming weeks. Not to worry, I told the workers to make sure they cover their shoes before walking on your carpet.

Just a friendly reminder that the 41st Knife Makers Guild Show is coming up soon (just 3 weeks away) September 17-19, at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, KY. This has always been one of the premier knife shows to attend. I will be there and I am looking forward to seeing all of you there! Be safe in your travels!

Congratulations to new Journeyman Smith Dee Hedges, Australia whose journey to obtaining an American Bladesmith Society JS stamp was detailed in an article titled “The Slipper Fits Just Fine” that was written by Master Smith Wally Hayes, Canada in the January 2011 issue of Blade magazine.

I also want to draw your attention to some other articles in the January 2011 issue of Blade Magazine about our ABS members. ABS Journeyman Smith Joe Olson, Montana has one of his knives featured on the cover of the magazine and is profiled in the article titled “Guitar Knives of Geyser”. In the article Joe notes assistance in his bladesmithing career from Master Smiths Rick Dunkerley, Shane Taylor, and Wade Colter.

In another feature article titled “S is for Style” about elegant knife design there are knife photos and/or quotes by or references to Master Smiths Jerry Fisk, Jim Batson, Terry Vandeventer, and John White.

In the “Knifemaker Showcase” there are knife photos and profiles for Apprentice Smith Bill Rupple, Texas and Journeyman Smith David Sloan, Nebraska. In the profile Bill Rupple gives credit for assistance in his knife making career development to ABS members Apprentice Smith Johnny Stout and Master Smith Harvey Dean.

With The Expendables being the No. 1 movie hit of the past weekend, bringing in about $35 million–$12 million more than the nearest competition–the November BLADE hitting a number of newsstands tomorrow, Aug. 17, could not have been timed much better. The November BLADE features the knives made by Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer© Gil Hibben for the movie’s star, Sylvester Stallone, and one of Sly’s many co-stars, Dolph Lundgren. If you subscribe, you should already have the issue. If not, check your local newsstands starting tomorrow. It should be on a number of them by then. The issue also features:
•The Blade Magazine 2010 Knife-Of-The-Year™ Awards;
•The Best Annual Knives of The American Bladesmith Society;
•The top knives of the world’s largest knife show, the 2010 BLADE Show;
•A report on the lawless raid of knife stores in Manhattan, New York, by Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance and his minions;
•And much more.