18^th Annual (Pre) Thanksgiving Knap-In, Millersylvania State Park

(near Olympia Washington)

Hosts Mick and Holly Hill

November 1st and 2nd 2014.

Join Mick and Holly Hill at their annual November knap-in.  This gathering began with the idea of putting closure to the year, reflecting on the fun gatherings and campouts that happened thru the year(s).  It is our knappers’ time to give thanks and be grateful, and then look forward to the holidays with our own families. 

 This event takes place at Millersylvania State Park which opens at 8 a.m. and closes at dusk, 5 p.m.  Kitchen #1 is a log cabin that includes an area with fireplace heat and extra lighting set up for flintknapping.   There is also a kitchen area with wood stove to plan the potluck.  We have electricity and running cold water if the weather is not freezing temps.   Part of the cabin is open to the weather elements and cannot be closed off.  It can be cold!  There are also bathrooms near the cabin.

Visitors to the Park must have a Discovery Pass with the exception of those camping overnight.  The annual pass is $30.  If you access the park for 2 days without a pass, the fee is $10 each day. 

One pass is good for two (same registered address) vehicles and must be displayed in the vehicle that is in the park.  If Mick and Holly need two vehicles, we are forced to buy 2 $30 passes. 

If you have reserved and paid for a campsite, the parking tag/fee is not required. 

A potluck Thanksgiving dinner will be served by 1 p.m. on Saturday only.  Mick and Holly provide coffee, turkey and some traditional thanksgiving dishes.  Bring a potluck dish, camp stool or chair, and plan to wear warm clothes and boots for the mud, sometimes rainy weather.  Pack a project to work on or maybe share with others how to make something.

Some may camp and stay thru Sunday.  If camping, expect to follow state park rules and provide payment for a camp site.  There are bathrooms w/plumbing and token-operated hot showers available.   You may want to check the website at www.parks.wa.gov, select Millersylvania, to consider reservations.

We meet again Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Lunch will be grilled cheese and pulled pork for a reduced number of knappers.   This is a good time for learning flintknapping from others with more experience if you are new to the art. 

Directions:

From North or South, take I-5 to Exit 95.  Follow signs to the park entrance.  Look for Kitchen #1.  Park in the first parking lot around to the left, near the entrance of the park.  Access to Kitchen #1 is by walking a path thru the woods.  We will have 2 wheelbarrows to shuttle your flintknapping supplies from your vehicle to the cabin.  Watch for others that may be trying to find our cabin!  It gets confusing to new visitors.   If necessary, there is a back road access to drive/assist those who don’t hike, or to deliver the extra big load.  Park rangers want to limit our driving thru their back roads.

For more info, contact Mick or Holly Hill, 360-493-8439 or e-mail:   or