From your Guildmaster. End of 2024, Time to Renew. Altoona Annual Meeting/Horn Fair on the Horizon.

As the air turns crisp and the fall color disappears here in the southern Appalachians, I’m reminded that the holiday season is just around the corner. For many of us, this is a busy time of year. A time full of shopping, social and family events, and stress. My wish for each of you is that you are able to slow down, enjoy it, and spend this time with those you love. The greatest gift we have to give is our time. Spend yours with those you truly care about and cherish those that choose to spend theirs with you. Once your time is gone, you can never get it back.

Speaking of time, just a little reminder, that as the year expires, so does your HCH membership. All HCH memberships run January 1 to December 31. Memberships can be renewed here on the HCH website. In fact, an HCH Membership would be an excellent gift for someone you know this holiday season. You can help grow our organization and foster someone’s passion for horn work all at the same time. While renewing your membership, you can also become a Horn Book sponsor, register for a table and the banquet at the 2025 Annual Meeting/Horn Fair in Altoona, PA, as well as, purchase tickets for this year’s Horn Fair Raffle Items donated by Master Collector Glenn Bealle. March will be here before you know it.

I hope many of you are working on your Guildmaster’s Challenge project. Details can be found on page 19 of the most recent Horn Book (Fall 2024 issue), but just to recap, the challenge is to create a “simple powder horn that has a voice.” By simple, I mean an everyday, any man’s (or woman’s), farm house, hand-carved, no turned or applied elements, no scrimshaw or engraving (other than a discrete maker’s mark), no stepped throat, no engrailing simple powder horn. Just a horn, a hand-shaped base plug, and a hand-carved spout. Members of all levels Freeman, Journeyman, and Master are welcome to participate. Kerry is weaving a special strap that will be given as the prize for the horn that “speaks the clearest.”

Master Horners are also being asked to bring an item they have completed in the past 12 months for a special display. This is not a competition, but a chance to showcase some recent work by Master Horners of the HCH. Remember, we require all advancing members to attend at least one Annual Meeting before going for advancement, and this is one of the reasons they come. So Master Horners, if you haven’t made anything new in a while, dust off your workbench and get busy.

With that I’ll say goodbye and wish you the best. Be safe and happy this holiday season. I look forward to seeing you soon my friends.

Sincerely,

Clinton E. Byers