Well folks the 2013 Blade show is upon us. May 31 - June 2, 2013

I want to start with what happens at a Blade show.  It is the knife show of shows!  Not only do you get the opportunity to see the best knifemakers but participating in one or more of the many seminars  is always fun

• Meet Larry “The Hammer” Harley, one of the stars of the hit National Geographic TV Show Lords of War, as he answers your questions about knives, swords and any and all edged weapons via his colorful ham, grits and hog-jowls style;

• In “Disaster Prep 101: Seeing the Solutions Around You,” security analyst/terrorism and disaster preparedness trainer Paul Purcell will show you how to recognize common household items as useful tools, and create your own emergency plan to meet the unique needs of family and your location;

• Steampunk knives are taking the custom industry by storm, and ABS master smith Wally Hayes’s Steampunk tanto was the cover knife for the May BLADE®. In “How To Make a Steampunk Tanto,” he will take you through the process step by step;

• Founder/lead instructor at Willow Haven Outdoor preparedness/survival training facility, Creek Stewart will demonstrate a wide variety of modern survival gear and primitive tools in “The Importance of Survival Every Day Carry (EDC),” as well as how to build a survival debris shelter throughout the weekend on the show floor;

• Ernest Emerson will give you the tools to train your most effective weapon against violence—your mind—in “Fight Like A Madman.” As he noted, “Train the mind and the body will follow. Confront evil with the tools to stop it dead in its tracks”;

• Author of Prepper’s Home Defense and part of the team that produces www.survivalweekly.com, Jim Cobb will help you determine where you need to beef up your home’s security and how to do it without breaking the bank in “Prepper’s Home Defense: What’s It Going To Cost?”;

• The 11th Annual BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competition will be conducted by BladeSports International and, at press time, included such qualifiers as defending champ Ted Ott, past champ Gary Bond, Donavon Phillips, Jim Cottingham, Michael Eubanks, Dwight Schoneweis, Dan Keffeler, Bud Robbins and Chris Rowland;

• In “How to Grow 2,000 Pounds of Food in Your Subdivision Backyard,” Texas Ready’s Lucinda “The Seed Lady” Bailey will teach you how to put your garden together in one afternoon. You will learn the differences among hybrids, GMOs, open-pollinated and heirloom seeds, plus what to plant in spring and again in the fall;

• In Ed Fowler’s “Knives That Served Man Well On The Frontier,” hold and study an 1832 Huber bowie, 1849 Ames Rifleman’s Knife and an antique T-backed wootz knife, and discuss the aspects of design and steel that made these knives great;

• Author of www.gameandgarden.com and her latest book, Recipes & Tips for Sustainable Living, Stacy Harris will show you how to prepare and cook the wildest and gamiest of deer meat and make it a taste treat in “Venison: Enhancing That Wild Flavor”;

• In “How To Photograph a Knife,” Eric Eggly of Point Seven Studios, the official BLADE Show photographer, will cover the foundation of knife photography and share some simple, easy-to-use tips and techniques to create your own stunning knife photos;

• In “You, Your EDC and the Police,” NRA legislative counsel Chris Conte discusses how to behave and respond to law enforcement when you are stopped for carrying an “illegal” knife, and how to avoid legal problems and protect your liberties in the process; •

• In “The How and Why of Innovations In Knives,” knifemakers James R. Cook, Robert Kaufmann and Elizabeth Loerchner will discuss the knives they made over the past year as a result of the $15,000 anonymous donor grant made to each of them through a special Custom Knife Collectors Association program;

• In “How To Throw Knives & Tomahawks,” Bobby Branton will outline and demonstrate the sport of throwing knives and hawks—including maybe even a new factory hawk or two—the best tools for the job, and more;

• In John Clements’ “Fundamentals of Sword Handling in Historical Swordplay,” learn how diverse hilt styles reflect necessary gripping methods as a direct function of the need to perform basic sword striking and warding actions;

• Bid on some of the American Bladesmith Society’s top handforged damascus, straight-carbon-steel and other knives, with proceeds going toward the Society’s educational efforts, in the ABS Auction;

• James Williams performs the tameshigiri—the cutting of straw mats—demonstrates the proper techniques of iaido—the drawing, using and replacing of the sword—and more, in his always popular “Japanese Sword Demonstration”;

• Watch those who know how use a selection of swords to recreate the way they actually were employed in combat in the days of yore in the fast-paced “Historical Swordplay Techniques” by the Reinhardt Legacy Fight Team, with the European rendition on Saturday and the Asian version on Sunday;

• In “SharpKidz: A Cool Knife Club For Kids,” basic knife knowledge, including newsletters and other giveaways, displays of kids’ knife collections, question-and-answer sessions and more, all on a level pre-teen boys and girls can relate to, will be among the highlights;

• In “Bladesmithing For Children,” the American Bladesmith Society’s Wes Byrd, Joe Keeslar and Tim Potier and possibly a very special guest outline how kids can get involved in the forging of knives under the supervision of those who do it for a living;

• Get your BLADE Show Saturday and Sunday off to a flexible start with knifemaker Jot Singh Khalsa’s “30-Minute Yoga Intro For Deep Relaxation & Stress Reduction.”

This year as you can see they have added "PREPPERS" to the list

Cobb Galleria Centre
Atlanta, GA  

Are You Ready?
For the first time ever, the world’s largest BLADE show is proud to include a new expo – Living Ready -- from the Living Ready Magazine. Two great expos, one ticket, all under the same roof. This is the ultimate knife show and survival expo event! Relevant and timely, the Living Ready Expo is designed to educate those interested in preparing themselves and their families for all kinds of real-life survival scenarios. Get practical advice and tips on preparedness, debunk urban survival myths, learn from survivalist experts and network with other urban preppers. You’ll get to ask questions and handle products first-hand. You’ll leave feeling more confident about things you need, like survival gear, food stores, tools and supplies, medical kits, home front security, resources and bug-out bag checklists for real-life emergencies.

At Living Ready, you’ll learn:

• Emergency radio and communications 

• Practical cold-weather survival tips

• True story: How one man capsized and survived in open water

• Bug-out bags and tons of handy tips for 24/7 readiness

SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE THERE??