Every year I do a look back at the year, some are easier to look back on than others.  2020 will go down in my book as the strangest year I have survived.

In the knife world at large, the pandemic of COVID-19 allowed for only one of the long awaited shows, The Shot Show. It has been cancelled for 2021 by the way.  All other major knife shows and at least 90% of the smaller shows were cancelled.  The industry can not afford this. The advent of online sales is great for us as collectors, but the hands-on experience is key for me at least.  I don’t know that knife shows will come back (as we have known them) for a few years and for some dealers and wholesalers this is a hardship on the business.

Anything that threatens or lowers a collector’s “spare” funds effects that industry.  In our world we see it in two major ways.  Less purchases and more collections being sold off.  While it can help you fill out that collection with hard-to-find pieces suddenly becoming available, the absence of funding can be frustrating.

In the world at large we saw riots, a rise in crime, a census, and a very divided political landscape. But we also saw some true heroes step up and prove the American spirit is alive and well.  First responders, nurses, firefighters, doctors, these are the folks that stepped into harm’s way to help thousands and thousands of people they did not know while leaving families at home, praying they stay safe. Truck drivers delivered everything they could, as fast as they could move around the country to keep our economy moving and the necessities where they were needed most.  All of that was a logistical nightmare so for the dispatchers of all those groups, we are incredibly grateful!

In our own small world here on iKC, it was such a mixed year I think my head and heart are still spinning.  It was the first year without an official iKC knife.  No worries there WILL be a 2020-2021 combination to make you all proud and I will try to get it out as soon as possible in the 2021 year.

We started the year raising our prayers for a member’s small granddaughter.  We mourned the loss of the Colonel Coon Knives creator and the President of the Fort City Knife Club.  The middle of the year saw things get a little bit back to normal and open in our towns and cities but brought 2 back-to-back hard blows to our members.  The sudden loss of Mrs. Bamford and D ale shook our hearts.  D ale was a wonderful contributor and friend and John Bamford had often spoken of the love of his life that helped him indulge in sharp objects. This was followed by the Loss of the Tops knife creator.

A large loss for the knife community as a whole and a personal loss to Donnie and I was the sudden passing of Tony Bose, followed just one day by the passing of Danny Reed of Cougar Creek knives and Reed Cutlery. The final blow here at iKC was the loss of Kifer Knives family member Terry, also a friend.

While the losses were heavy a little sunshine came through when it was needed most, Lucy Mae born 11-18-2020 7# 14 oz has joined the TSA Knives family!   THIS is going to be the part of 2020 I bring forward with me to 2021. As a part of the iKC family, I am going to celebrate Lucy Mae bringing the sunshine to 2020 and I am going to look forward to her first birthday being in a year of joy.

For all of you, Donnie and I wish a 2021 filled with love, family, lots of new sharp things and most of all hope.

In the words of Tom Bodett:   “They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”

And We will leave the lights on for you here at iKC