Other News
At the meeting several things were brought up and things were changed.
1ST A charge of 1$ will be made to shoot or throw the hawk to offset the
cost of targets.
2ed Time and event permitting a two dollar re-entry fee will be charged to
try to make the club some money. (the club should do well when Dick
and Earl square off)
3rd There will be different targets for smoothbores so if there aren’t four
Shooters they can compete with the rifles.
4th A new separate trophy will be awarded. It will be the coveted NIPPLE
AWARD . You must see Mike C. before the shoot and declare your
team either a, flinter, or nipple gun or how about a smoothie.
The last item was on how the club championship is determined. Several people felt that shooting was too weighted; they wanted to see some diversity
in determining the club championship. Folks, I can come up with some OK shooting events and I get by with the Hawk throws but that’s as far as I can go. As I said at the meeting step up, you want fire starting, great, cooking outstanding, long Bow, super. I just am not capable of running these events.
Next month we are at Cherry Ridge so we have to shoot but as of now April is open. What ever you come up with is fine. But remember I love to shoot, that’s why I joined this club. There will be some form of shooting in April (time permitting) it just won’t count for the championship.
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The Second Part of Paul's Article
Developing a Persona
Well it took me a lot longer than I thought but here it is the second part of a three part series on personas.
If you are reading this I did my job in the first part and convinced you that to really enjoy this hobby we need to find a period of time and recreate historically accurately a person that lived in that era. There are many ways to do this, what I will try to do is give you some in site on how to avoid some of the pitfalls and this could save you a dollar or two in the long haul.
I, like many others in this hobby have changed personas several times. Each time there are added costs to replace equipment that I have bought which is no longer appropriate. It ends up on the blanket at a vastly reduced price (a good place to purchase equipment if you are just starting).
There are three areas that you could use as a start point. Your ancestry, historical interest or area of the country you live in. All can be a base but combine all three together and it doesn’t get much better. Which ever you chose try to keep this in mind earlier is OK, later will ruin any effect you try to create. Unlike our society the people of 200 years ago did not throw anything out. As a result you saw Flint Lock Lancaster rifles in the Civil War and Mountain Men carrying a southern Tennessee flintlock .You would NEVER see a Revolutionary War solider with a cap lock, they just weren’t invented yet. A Rev war solider may wear his fathers French fly britches but his father wouldn’t wear drop front,as they didn’t exist yet.
Again expense. A proper shelter for your period could run you 400 to over 1000 dollars. Your first rifle will be massed produced, but sooner or later you will buy a semi-custom or custom gun. This could run you 800 to 4000 dollars. Cooking irons pots, blankets, clothes boxes and everything else add another 500 to 1000. Start small, add as you go, buy used (remember those blankets) before you make that jump into the major purchases be sure it is the direction you want to go. Remember early is fine. A wedge tent for a Mountain Man is OK but the Continental army never slept in TPs.
There are some large events that you will not be welcome at if your equipment is not correct. Our club welcomes all new comers that have just started to gather their gear, we all can remember when we started (except Earl and Dick they are older than DIRT)
Ask, borrow if you can, but above all COME
Ancestry is self explanatory, being of Italian decent I envy anyone with a Dutch or a Native American heritage.
Historical interest can run the entire period, from the 1600s to 1825. You could like the clothes or the shelters, wall tents, wedge or TPs. Maybe you own a horse that fits the Mountain Man era. I have seen ladies of the night, beggars, gentry, tavern owners even a gypsy. For me and my friend John it was the rifles. There is something beautiful and at the same time deadly about those long guns. It was love at first site and I knew that I had to carry one of those, so everything else was shaped to fit my rifles era.
The last consideration is area of the country. There is a strong interest in the long hunter today due to the writings of such authors as Curry and Baker. I have to admit the pull is strong. Trekking, hunting, camping and most of all those long guns. The problem is that Kentucky and the Cumberland are eight hours from here. To go there requires a considerable expense in time and money; as a result my time spent there is with a book. On the other hand a change of clothes, a call to Bill, John or Larry and one hour later I am exploring the Minsink Valley. To go to Fort Ticonderoga with the French Marines, to walk to the French Lines on Sunday night when the park is closed and sit in front of the remains of the trenches. If you place your hand on the ground and are very quiet you may hear the Pipes along with the screams of the Black Watch as they made their gallant charge. It is magic , and that my friends is why:
A creation of a persona changes this from a hobby to a very personal experience.
Your Most Humble Servant
Paul Van Ella
(Part 1 at the end of this newsletter)
WHY A PERSONA?
I guess the first question asked is why? I dress up; I go to Rondeys and have a great time. Why in the world do I need to worry about the fact that I am dressed like a 1780 farmer and carry a caplock rifle, who gives a rats behind( I remember Henry-keep it clean).
The truth is in this club- no one. I also belong to The Coalition of Historical Trekkers. A small number of members in that organization are so caught up in period correct clothing and gear that they lose sight that this is a hobby and the main goal is to have FUN! I must say that Banjo Billy has brought me down to earth many times on this issue. The part I like about the C.O.H.T. is that our idea is that we are all on a journey with a common goal. The goal to strive to be historically accurate with our clothes, gear and even the food we eat, some have just started and some have traveled a far distance but this is a journey that never ends.
A great Chinese philosopher stated it a long time ago- a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, and that step is finding a persona. After that YA GOTTA DO THE RESEARCH. Again, why? It's fun. I am retired and now work part time, even with this I am lucky(if I want to stay married) to get out once or twice a month. Books are great dream makers. I will be the first to admit nothing beats a weekend at The Fort at#4 or an overnight trek to hunt squirrels, the rest of the month I fill with books.
I don't know how you got interested in this hobby, but for me it was when I watched Fess Parker play Boone. Then I moved from Chicago to New Jersey, all of a sudden there were signs on the side of the road about this old house this battle site, this old mine, it went on and on. Then in 7th grade we went to Morristown and I was hooked. The fire just smouldered under the surface and I never did anything about it. Then along comes the muzzleloading deer season and I bought my first black powder rifle. Made in Japan, full stock-P.A.-Cap lock marked 50 caliber on the barrel but she was really a 45, I had a hell of a time trying to get those 490 balls down her. Then I went to the range. I am not sure, but I think Goex puts cocaine in their powder because after the first shot I was addicted.
One thing led to another, then I went to my first Rondy at Space farms. I saw Bruce walk into camp all dressed holding two squirrels and a grouse. That night the magic set in when I walked the camp, listened to the music and shared a fire with some people I still call friends. I acquired STUFF and more STUFF. I was a mountain man, then a Tennessee farmer. I was hooked and like most addicts I needed someone to share my addiction. I thought it would be wonderful if I infected my friend John. We have shared many fires together and he often thanks me for getting him started. He says this hobby feels like someone has put a nine horse power shop vac in his pocket and sucked all the money out.
It was at a Northeastern when we were sitting in camp and watched a five ton truck drive up at 8AM and five hours later finish setting up camp, John looked at me and said "Is this camping or homesteading?" So we started looking and found the C.O.H.T, and trekking and the creation of a persona.
If you are still interested, next newsletter will be all about creating a persona.
Your most humble Servant
Paul Van Ella
aka The Dutchman
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