15^th Annual (Pre) Thanksgiving Knap-In, Millersylvania State Park, near Olympia Washington. November 5th and 6th, 2011.  Always scheduled on the first Saturday and Sunday of November each year. 

The Park has decided to waive the parking fees for knappers or those associated with the knap-in - be sure and let the Park Rangers know who you are and what you'll be attending!

Join Mick and Holly Hill, hosts of the 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. 

Park 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 but usually no running water.  (This means, “Pack it in-Pack it out.”  We don’t do dishes….)   Part of the cabin is open to the weather elements and can’t be closed off.   It can be cold!  The park rangers also leave a bathroom unlocked near the cabin for our use and for extra drinking water if needed.

The potluck thanksgiving dinner will be served by 1 p.m. on Saturday only.  Mick and Holly provide coffee, fresh baked turkey and some traditional thanksgiving dishes.   Bring a potluck dish, camp stool or lawn chair, and plan to wear warm clothes and boots for the mud, sometimes rainy weather.  Bring a blanket for your chair if you need more warmth.  Pack a project to work on or share as show-n-tell if you are not flintknapping.

Some may camp and stay thru Sunday.  If camping, expect to follow state park rules and provide payment for a camp site.  There is a warm bathroom w/plumbing and coin 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.  Holly will flip breakfast pancakes and later make grilled cheese for what becomes a reduced number of knappers.   This is a good time for learning from others with more experience if you are new to knapping. 

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 on 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:  hollyhill54@gmail.com, michaelhill30@gmail.com.