April 30, 2021 - Special Announcement from the Guildmaster

To paraphrase my elders;  My how time flies.

Seems like yesterday that we were all together at Carlisle and yet, here we are almost two years later still wondering the outcome of this pandemic.  I am looking forward to March of 2022 as we will finally, hopefully, be able to celebrate our 25^th Anniversary.  In the Interim, there have been some notable occurrences worth mentioning.  First, The NMLRA Horn project by our collective of HCH members is finished.  My compliments to all who participated, it is a horn worthy enough to be added to Jeff Luke’s pouch and photos and the horn itself will be sent off to the NMLRA soon to be added to the rest of the items for the ADA compliant restroom raffle.  Details of the raffle should be available on the NMLRA website.

Secondly, we are all aware now, the Gunmaker’s Fair at Dixons is no longer going to be held.  When I saw the announcement on social media, my heart dropped.  I have been going there for over 30 years and re-invigorated my visits through the HCH involvement and serving on the accouterments panel as a judge, not to mention our summer reception was held during this time.  Well imagine my relief when I received a phone call from the NMLRA and they stated their interest in seeing  the event continued.  In the coming weeks a collective of organizations gathered together via online meetings and site visits to the Kempton Community Center and I am proud and excited to announce a date and the site has been secured for an event in July of 2022.

Yes!  The event formerly known as the Gunmakers Fair at Dixons will now be known as the Gunmakers Fair at Kempton.  The NMLRA, HCH, Jacobsburg Historical Society, and the Pennsylvania Federation of Black Powder Shooters are joining together with a joint financial investment to see the tradition that Chuck Dixon started 37 years ago continues forward.  The first event will be held at the Kempton Community Center, Kempton, PA on July 29, 30, & 31, 2022. This location is only 5 miles past Dixon’s.   Stay tuned as much more information will be coming in the next couple of weeks and months.  There is a website and Facebook page in development and social media is already buzzing.

You may ask; what is the HCH’s involvement in all of this?  Well, with a unanimous vote from our Ex-Comm, we are investing an equal share of funds with the other three organizations to finance the event.  I am putting out a call to all our members now to please think about volunteering your time to help with the setting up and running of the event and maybe you would even like to be a sponsor.  More details to come. Our presence will continue through vendors, an HCH table, the spring pole lathe setup, and our members continued involvement in accoutrement judging and seminars and yes, we are working on continuing our summer reception.

Please be patient with us as there is much to do and a lot of details are still being worked on by all involved.  If you would like more information or want to offer your help with the event, please contact me via e-mail or phone and will be glad to answer any of your questions

YMH&OS

John DeWald Jr.

Guildmaster

Clinton Byers, Master Horner

This is the fifteenth installment in a series of articles on those members of the Honourable Company of Horners who have achieved the status of Master Horner.

Here is an excerpt from the Horn Book article on Clinton:
“Clinton Byers is, without question, a welcomed addition to the Masters. It’s always interesting to look into the backgrounds of each Master to learn of their motivation in reaching this level of artisanship.

[To read the complete article, click here…]

 

 

Rick Sheets, Master Horner

This is the fourteenth installment in a series of articles on those members of the Honourable Company of Horners who have achieved the status of Master Horner.

Here is an excerpt from the Horn Book article on Rick:
“Rick Sheets brings to the ranks of the Masters an intense interest in educating the public of all ages about the multiple aspects of horn work. ”
and his abundance of patience.

[To read the complete article, click here…]