March 2012 Message from the Guildmaster

In my first message  as your newly appointed Guildmaster, I would first like to say thank you  to everyone  in our organization who has worked so hard in the past to bring the guild to its current position.  I appreciate your confidence in me, and I hope that I will be able to adequately “follow in the footsteps” of Ed’s great leadership during the past two years. Thanks also to our  executive committee, committee chairmen, and all of our members, who have worked diligently to make our guild what it is today.

Our 2012 meeting in Carlisle, PA is now history, and I must say that from the response I received, “a good time was had by all”. Many thanks to Dick Toone, and everyone who spent many  hours organizing our gathering.  Plans are already in place for 2013, so stay tuned!

In my opinion, our conference reached a new peak this year. Recorded attendance was 96 members, a new record for our meeting. The tables and displays were fantastic, as usual. Jim Leach did a superb job of organizing a blowing horn display that was truly mind boggling. In addition, Jim cataloged and photographed all of the horns that were present with the goal of publishing these important artifacts at a future date. The throaty bellows and whoops from many of these horns could be heard throughout the show!

The workshops were outstanding, and I believe that we have arrived at a very successful method of communicating our art to those who attend the meeting. Every time I went out to the hall, folks were gathered around the tables, taking in the skills and techniques that were being demonstrated. Thanks to all who manned and worked these tables. I hope that we can continue, and expand these programs in the future.

Congratulations to our new Journeymen, Mike Burke, and Rich Hujsa. It is always rewarding to see members advance through our ranks as artisans. Congratulations are also in order for our drinking vessel and strap contest winners, Mike Burke, and Ginny Hawker. Beautiful work!  Congrats. also to our contest winners, who entered some outstanding pieces. A special congratulation to Mr. John DeWald, who hit a three 1st. place home run, with the addition of Best of Show! Great work John!

After this year’s show, I thought back to the first annual conference I attended in Williamsburg, VA. I joined the guild at that show, and had no idea of what to expect. The members attending that show made me really feel welcome, and openly shared their considerable knowledge of horns, history, and techniques. Five years later, I see more of this than ever at our meetings, and through our membership in the guild. I believe it is this open sharing of knowledge and skills that makes our organization unique, and I feel that through this process, we offer our members an invaluable resource.

I look forward to serving as your Guildmaster. Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions to keep our organization moving ahead for the future. Thank you.

Y.M.O.S.,
Jeff Bibb

February 2012 Message from the Guildmaster

Our annual meeting is just around the corner.  If you have not sent in your dues and registration form, the deadline is February 24^th, 2012.  If you plan to enter the horn strap/drinking vessel contest you can bring the item with you or send it to me and I will bring it for you. Time is running out.

This year’s meeting is promising to be one the best ever.  The Journeymen will be joining with the Masters at the Masters Benches to share their knowledge and experience in the art of hornwork.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity and don’t forget your pen and notepad.

The annual meeting of the membership will take place mid- morning on Friday.  The banquet will be Saturday night.

My temporary stewardship of the Guild will come to an end at the banquet with the passing of the horn ceremony.  It was a rewarding and humbling experience that I will cherish for years to come.  In my last message for our web site, I would like to thank all our viewers and those of you who used the contact us section. I hope we answered all your questions satisfactorily.  I am looking forward to the camaraderie at our annual meeting, see you there.

Sincerely,

Ed Long
HCH Guildmaster

January 2012 Message from the Guildmaster

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

The Honourable Company of Horners is again saddened to learn of the passing of another great horn worker and supplier of horn, John Plybon. John was truly a pioneer in horn work and was the first recipient of the Guild’s prestigious “Lanthorn Award”. We offer our condolences to the Plybon family who are in our thoughts and prayers. God bless you John and thank you for your contribution, may you rest in peace.

Another year has rapidly passed and all members should be gearing up for our big event, the 2012 Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held March 2nd and 3rd, at the USAHEC in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

This year, due to our nation’s economic times, members planning to attend will not be charged a registration fee for our annual meeting; the Guild will absorb the registration fee. However your dues for 2012 must be current to gain entrance. Display tables will be $10.00 each, we are limited to 36. The cost for the banquet will be $30.00 per person.

The main theme will be centered around education, with hands on work stations manned by Master Horners assisted by Journeymen. All phases of work will be covered from the selection of raw horn for your particular project, to the finished item.
Listed are some of the events that will take place:

• Freeman Cheryl Davidson will open ceremonies on Friday morning singing our National Anthem.
• The Guild’s ceremonial blowing horn will be unveiled.
• The blowing horn/drinking vessel contest will be judged.
• The member’s annual horn contest will be held and judged on entries in Contemporary Engraved Horn, Traditional Engraved Horn, Carved Horn, plus Horn and Bag and Horn Objects.
• The Guild’s horn and bag for raffle, donated by GM Elect Jeff Bibb and Publications Chair Billy Griner, will be on display.
• All members registering will have their name placed in a drawing for a special door prize, a beautiful adjustable powder measure turned from horn, donated by Freeman Dave Rase.
• There will be a display table of original blowing horns.
• Our Spring Pole Lathe will be on display and demonstrated.
• Members will have their hornware and related items on display.

The annual business meeting will be held Friday morning. The banquet will be Saturday evening and in addition to the meal there will be an Awards Ceremony with a special guest speaker. The event will conclude with the Passing of the Horn followed by Freeman Davidson singing God Bless America.

All members attending are encouraged to dress in 18th, early 19th Century attire throughout the event including the banquet. Members acquiring display tables are requested to refrain from the sales of imported items; however, they may be part of an educational display and identified as such. Examples include, a bowl made in India or spoon made in China, etc. Display area will be open to visitors at no charge.

In the upcoming week there will be a separate mailing to all members to include a registration form for return to our Treasurer.

In parting, I would like to congratulate Freeman Carl Dumke and Jim Leach on their recent advancement to Journeyman.

Best Regards,
Ed Long
HCH Guildmaster

Carl Dumke Journeyman, Roland Cadle Master Horner and Jim Leach Journeyman

 

About Regional Meetings, a Special Announcement

The Executive committee met this past November to discuss HCH business and a motion to sanction “official” HCH regional meetings was brought to vote. After much debate and discussion, the motion was defeated.  The following items were taken into consideration before coming to this decision:

Club Resources (both monetary and manpower) – Each year the HCH Annual meeting has grown to attract over 150 members and guests.  This requires monetary support from the HCH as well as several volunteers to step-up, plan, organize and successfully run the event.

Service to the largest group of our members – The executive committee looked at the demographic data on our approximate 400 members.  We found that almost 75 percent of our membership lives east of Illinois and north of South Carolina.  This makes central Pennsylvania within a 6-7 hour drive of the majority of our registered members.  To move the Annual Event even further south, or further west would significantly dilute this proximity to the majority of our members, thus potentially reducing the majorities’ ability to attend.  A decline in attendance supported this data when annual events were held further east in Massachusetts, and an even greater decline in attendance when held in Indiana and North Carolina.

Our Growth – As the HCH has grown, we have found that the type of venue necessary to hold the annual event has changed.  Attendance of 150 plus people requires larger exhibit locations with close proximity to lodging and food.  Event locations should also be close to some attraction that has a historic interest to the 18^th century time period our members are most interested in and most 18^th century locations are in the eastern part of our country.

However, we did recognize that the meeting should not have a “permanent” home, and that venues should potentially alternate between a Pennsylvania location, and locations to the west and south.  But meetings should remain in the eastern half of the country to reach the greatest number of attendees from the membership.  An event is being planned at the Museum of Appalachia in Tennessee within the next couple of years.

Consistency – We felt that the best way to have high quality HCH events is to focus our “official” efforts on the two events we currently conduct.  The annual meeting in early March and the summer meeting in conjunction with Dixon’s Gunmakers Fair, as long as volunteers step up to operate these events.  Our Awards committee currently provides judges trained to “jury” member’s work for advancement at both of these events.  We felt that before we expand to additional events, we must assure we have sufficient trained members who can apply the same judging standards to future “jurying” procedures.

None of this precludes individual HCH members from planning and holding their own regional event.  A group from the south held a successful event in January with another scheduled for 2012.  A second member held an event, which attracted good attendance as well as new members on the west coast and is planning another event next year.  In fact, we agreed that the HCH would provide access to mailing lists and would promote the dates of any such events in the Horn Book for members who wish to do this.

In closing, it is our responsibility as an organization to maintain our mission statement, “Dedicated to the Research, Preservation and Education of Horn Work” but not at the expense of conducting shows all over the country, it is just not feasible.  One member summed it up with the following statement, “In my years as an HCH member, every project of “value” that the Guild has accomplished has happened because one or more members voluntarily got together and made it happen.  This is how each year’s annual meeting is conducted still.  We don’t exist with paid employees responsible for doing all the work, allowing members to simply sit back and wait for the benefits to fall in their lap just because they “want” something to happen without their effort.”  That is a powerful statement…..as Guildmaster, I concur.

Sincerely,
Ed Long
HCH Guildmaster

December 2011 Message from the Guildmaster

Our first fall executive and committee chair meeting is now part of the Guild’s history. It was extremely productive and hopefully has paved the way for future meetings of this type. Numerous items were on the table, including a thorough review of the Guild’s by-laws. The special committee that was appointed to conduct the review has completed the job, and the item is now dissolved. I would like to thank each committee member for their time and input.

A particular concern of the membership was the interest of HCH Sanctioned Regional Meetings. Roland Cadle, Consultant to the Executive Committee and Educational Committee chair, presented a motion that the HCH sanction regional meetings. The motion was seconded by Meetings Chair, Dick Toone. After a thorough debate, it was put up for vote, which resulted in a unanimous decision against the motion for regional meetings.

Don’t forget to set your plans in motion for our Annual Meeting, March 2nd and 3rd, 2012 at the AHEC Carlisle, Pennsylvania, this promises to be our best ever. My January message will have more details. Keep working on your horn strap/drinking vessel contest entries. The time has been extended right up to the meeting date.

The Christmas season is upon us, to all I wish a,  “Merry Christmas!”

Sincerely,
Ed Long
HCH Guildmaster

Executive Committee at Carlisle, PA.

Special Message. The 2012 Annual Meeting and Contest Update.

About Our 2012 Annual Meeting

The Honourable Company of Horners 2012 Annual Meeting will be held at the Army Heritage Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  The dates for the meeting are, Friday March 2^nd and Saturday March 3^rd, 2012 with an early set-up on Thursday March 1^st.
A block of rooms will be set aside at the Days Inn, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  When making your reservation, mention “horn guild” and you will receive a special discounted rate.  There are other motels in the area which will be listed in future announcements.

>>Here is the link for the Days Inn in Carlisle.<<

Horn Strap/Drinking Vessel Contest Update

Only the winning strap and the winning drinking vessel will be permanently retained by the Guild, all other entries will not become property of the Guild and may be retained by the entrant.  The deadline for submission of items has been extended to the end of February 2012.  If you are coming to the meeting bring the item with you, if you cannot attend mail the item to me and I will bring it for you.

If you intend to participate, and haven’t already done so, please let me know by using our >>Contact Us form.<< Thank You.

Best regards to all,

Ed Long

HCH Guildmaster

November 2011 Message from The Guildmaster

The Honourable Company of Horners is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of a true icon for horn workers, collectors and enthusiasts alike; Jim Dresslar.

We offer our condolences to the Dresslar family who are in our thoughts and prayers.  Jim certainly paved the way for all horners with his book; “The Engraved Powder Horn.” I myself have worn one out for the use of research.

God Bless and thank you Jim, may you rest in peace.

Our 2012 Annual meeting will be held March 2nd and 3rd, 2012 at the Army Heritage Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  The details will be reported in this column and in the Guild’s Horn Book as they unfold.  This promises to be the best annual event ever.

It is still not too late to enter our Horn Strap/Drinking Vessel contest.  All items for entry should be submitted to me by January 31^st, 2012.  We need more members getting involved in this contest.  Don’t forget, there are some great prizes and a chance for you to be a permanent part of Guild’s history.

In two weeks, the Executive Committee and Chairs will be holding its first ever exclusive fall meeting.  Some very important HCH issues will be up for discussion, including the Guild’s by-laws.

On a final note, I would like to wish all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Best Regards,
Ed Long
HCH Guildmaster

PS:
Feel free to leave a comment below about Jim Dresslar. He will certainly be missed.
-E.L.

October 2011 Message from The Guildmaster

ATTENTION!

Members of the Honourable Company of Horners; there is a prize update for our blowing horn strap and drinking vessel contest.  Winners in each category will receive:

• A $100 cash prize
• A hard copy edition of the Hartley Book
• A certificate of achievement
• And be honored guests of the Guild, along with their spouse, at our 2012 Annual Meeting and banquet in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Just a reminder, time is running out on this contest.  The deadline to submit your entry to the Guildmaster is January 31^st, 2012.  We need more items for submission, to date there have been no drinking vessel entries.

As mentioned in my June 2011 message, this is a once in a lifetime venture, both winning items will become a permanent part of Guild ceremonies for generations to come.

Here is an important note about the contest; the strap dimensions and design criteria for the drinking vessel were purposely left vague so that no one’s creativity would be constrained.  Your creativity will be factored into the judging.

I am asking that you consider getting involved in this contest; the overall success will be in the best interest of future Guild operations.  Remember you need not be present at the 2012 Annual Meeting to win!  We are looking forward to more entries to spice this up.  Your cooperation is deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

Ed Long,
HCH Guildmaster

PS:
I thought you would enjoy a casual photograph of some of the original powder horns in Historic Deerfield’s extensive collection. Here is a link to their website.
-E.L.

September 2011 Message from The Guildmaster

This month’s Message from The Guildmaster is provided by Jeff Bibb, our Guildmaster Elect. My thanks to Jeff for providing it.
Ed Long
Guildmaster

 

Happy Labor Day to everyone! I hope that all of you will be able to take the day off and enjoy a rest after this whirlwind summer.

Well, Dixon’s and CLA have come and gone for another year. With only three weeks separating these two events, it is a busy time for many of our members. The HCH had a strong presence at both events, and we are all pleased with the success of the guild and its members.

Once again, HCH members made a strong showing in the judging at Dixon’s fair. Several first place awards went to members for accoutrements and guns, including another win by a guild member of the Madison Grant Award! [Mr. Bibb is being shy. It was his Southern banded blowing horn that took this honor. Editor]
Congratulations to everyone. Look for details in a coming issue of The Horn Book.

Guild members were busy all weekend at their own tables, staffing the HCH table (thanks to everyone who generously helped out), selling books and memberships, teaching seminars, judging competition entries, and trying to find time to take in some of the fair for themselves.

The HCH summer reception was once again, a very well-attended event. The food was excellent, the museum was open for viewing, and the folks at Jacobsburg did an excellent job of hosting the event. The great north / south banded horn competition was voted to a tie. Both sets of entries were beautifully made, and even Tom Ames, the head of Dixon’s accoutrements judging, could not truly pick one over the other. Congratulations to Billy and Roland for their work!

CLA was also an outstanding show for the guild. Thanks to John Proud, Frank Willis, and Jim Pease for staffing the guild table, selling books and representing the guild. Many guild members attend and exhibit at CLA. The show is truly so large, that it is hard to take it all in if you have your own table. There were many outstanding displays of contemporary and original pieces to admire over the two days in Lexington.

As we move in the fall season, plans are already well underway for next year’s HCH conference and events. I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming months.

Y.M.H.S.,
Jeff Bibb
Guildmaster Elect

 

JULY 2011 MESSAGE FROM THE GUILDMASTER

Is it that time again? You bet! Just a few weeks away, Dixon’s Gunmakers Fair, the event we all look forward to year after year. During the evening on the first day of the fair, the HCH will hold the 7th Annual Summer Reception at Jacobsburg Historical Society. A letter has been sent to all members with the details. If you plan to attend the summer reception, the deadline for RSVP is July 18th, 2011.

The theme for this year’s HCH table is, “The Engraved Powder Horn.” Members are encouraged to bring their best contemporary or traditional engraved powder horn for display. The horns will remain on display throughout the show and should be claimed by their owners at the end.

Volunteers will be needed to help man the HCH table. If you can help out, please check in at the HCH table upon your arrival. A schedule will be made so we can divide the time evenly.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Gunmakers Fair and summer reception!

Sincerely,

Ed Long
HCH Guildmaster

P.S. Hopefully, you have received a letter about the  HCH 7th Annual Summer Reception.
If you missed it, download it here.

-E.L.

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