[TheForge] "Official" news from ABANA

[schade at acegroup.cc]

On Feb 19, 2007, at 8:44 AM, Saint Phlip wrote:

>
> I admit it, I enjoyed the ABANA conference. But, the things I found
> most enjoyable were the non or less official activities. Yes, I
> watched several demos, and they were pretty good, but I found the bits
> where some folks were getting together just to thump steel, rather
> than having an official demo to be not only more interesting, but more
> in lines with the fun factor that draws me to smithing. I like making
> things, and I like to be around people who are making things.
>
> Best evening's entertainment? The tailgate party we (TheForge members)
> had in the parking lot. A few other folks had the same idea, and we
> sorta spread out, so we were all partying together. Casual
> conversations were really cool, with Steve Kayne particularly, but
> also several of the other merchants. I wasn't interested in going
> dancing and swapping tickets for beer- I wanted to hang with my
> friends, new and old, and talk smithing- maybe go over to a forge, and
> thwack a bit of steel.
>
>  No reason ABANA needs to
> pay for all the demonstrator tents.


> Basicly, what ABANA needs to do is get out of the micromanagement
> business.

> All ABANA should be really doing is setting up the infrastucture
>
________________________________

some snipping up above.

So who needs Abana? All A-B-A-N-A is is a legal entity. Abana 
affiliates (Not! Chapters anymore)
are having successful (financially and otherwise) conferences all the 
time. Why all the hand
wringing about ways to SAVE Abana? It's just a sheet of paper in a 
drawer somewhere. The
blacksmithing community is alive and well.

The King is dead. Long live the King!

Bob