Dixon's Gunmakers Fair

[BigDeutscher]

This year marks the 29th annual Gun Makers Fair
At Dixon's Muzzleloading Shop in Kempton,Pennsylvania
The dates for this wonderful event are
July 29th,30th & 31st,2011
If you are going to be in attendance as a craftsmen or vender,or if you know of builder that attends .
Would you be so kind as to post who they are, and what you might find for sale in their tent.
I would like to meet some of the folks who I have talked to on this site,and check out their work first hand.
Deutsch mit viel Geld zum Ausgeben

 

[Birdman]

Welll where do ya start about whats available at Dixon's. There are a slew of custom gun makers from TVA on the more economical side to Esch, Martin etc on the higher end. You will find hand loomed sashs, pottry, flints, powder horns, gun bags all sorts of stuff by know makers. I believe if ya go to dixon's web site they may have all the dealers listed. I'll be there saturday, most likely sitting with Knapper aka Bobby Winters. He usually has an assortment of stuff as well as gun flints galore.His table is normally at the bottom of the wooden steps leading from the tent up to the porch of the shop itself. Now if my memeory serves there are 4 or 5 circus sized tents with venders under all of them as well as a bunch of smaller tents of the venders themselves. There are seminars going on throughout the whole event n those shold be listed on their website too I believe. Then ya have dixons shop itself that is like going into blackpowder nirvana from all they have to offer. It is truely a blackpower extravaganza to say the least. Along with all that ya got all the guns n acutraments placed for judging in the garage area, all made by hand from beginers first time efforts to beautiful items made by old hands. Across the road is an old barn with all sorts of antiques etc for sale that are worth the look. If yer just going for the day it will be full n busy trying to see everything n takeing it all in. BD I'm from Oxford down in Chester county so I'm not that far from ya,It is very much worth the drive n time to go n iffen ya do I'll gurantee you'll make time in years to come to go back again n again. YMHS Birdman

 

[Birdman]

Some others I happened to think of Jim Chambers, Speedy Hogarth(bag maker),brass castings, bead work, and there is plenty of stuff for the ladies so if the good woman wants to tag along she should enjoy shopping as well.N like I said a slew of others. also not far away is Dietrichs Butcher shop(they have a web site) with old style real smoked bacon n such they do themselves right on the property. If ya come up rt76 n turn onto 796? when ya come to the first stop sign the butcher is about 200 yds down the road to the left. Besides the bacon they have all kinds of sausages, old style smoked hams, pickled pigs snouts n feet, lambs tounges etc, all the same sort of meats you would have found years back, and they are all delicious. guess I'm sort of a bacon nut, this is the best bacon I have ever had anywhere, just the smell inside the shop is worth the stop. LOL I'll make ya a bet there BD, if ya come up to dixon's I'll bet when ya get ready to leave you'll wish ya had had more time n money to spend. Ya can't really take it all in the way you would like in just one day. YMHS Birdman

 

[BigDeutscher]

do you mean that there will be gun builders there that have ready made kit guns from TVA?
Will there be some that might have a R.E. davis Fine Fusil or two?
I would like to buy something long 44" or better, but plain in .62 cal
at a good price
What is a fair price over cost for a builder to put one of these kits together?
I also wanted to add that Brad Emig from Cabin Creek will be there
Deutsch

 

[Birdman]

BD the guys(venders) are the guys that make the kitplas as well as custom guns themselves.What I meant was you will most likely find representation of stuff from plain to fancy by the guys that build them. The stuff up in the garage area will be items that have been made by beginers to custom makers. the items are being judged n critiqueted so each builder can learn n improve how they are doing things.I believe it was last year one of the guys that posts here on the forum entered a horn shaped like a salmon n won , it was a really beautiful horn and a really unusual subject to make a horn look like.There will be many craftsmen there and there are guns for sale as well as other items to numerous to list. If you can swing it come on up for at least the day n enjoy, You won't regret it.oh yea, the event happens rain or shine, hot or stormy so be prepared hee hee, they also have a couple food venders there but its mostly just quick lunch type stuff. burgers, dogs fries, lemonade etc. hope this helps some Birdman

 

[jimc2]

Big d come in the shop look for the chubby bald guy(me)and i'll give you the guided tour show you whats for sale in the shop custom guns used but not abused and less than new cost. ask for jim

 

[BigDeutscher]

Jim
Thanks I will
LOL ...I and my wife came up a couple of weeks ago and we stayed till you all closed the doors
My wife has some health issues and slept in the car while,I looked at the guns hanging until my neck hurt
The store got my Cookson and a cut down Dragoon
And I went home with a new TVM fowler kit
Ring a Bell?
I am the Big German
The Fella that laid away the Ketland for the kid I am a big brother too.
Hope you got the money taped to it, sent another $100 a couple of days ago
Still want that tour!!!
Deutsch

 

[Mickc01]

:rotf: What is it about wives waiting in the car at Dixons!? I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one with this experience. But I think I did find the cure. Time before last I came out with a fowling peice. Then the last time we stopped in, she went in with me. Ya know, come to think of it, maybe it's best if she does stay in the car. :surrender:

 

[B.Habermehl]

I will be there for the first time as a exibitor. I have been coming down there for the past 20 years or so. Come and visit and handle my trade guns and rifles. B.J. Habermehl

 

[Hawkeye]

do you mean that there will be gun builders there that have ready made kit guns from TVA?
Will there be some that might have a R.E. davis Fine Fusil or two?
Deutsch

Deutsch, you should give Tip Curtis a call. He has a tent full of in the white guns he brings, but if you call him he may be able to have what you want. He does not have a web page but his contact information is:
TIP CURTIS FRONTIER SHOP
P.O. Box 203
Cross Plains, TN 37049

(615) 654-4445
Email: [email protected]

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I & a lot of the guys & gals from 2 of the clubs that I belong to go every year! It's like a who's-who of the ML world. $2.00 to park, and no admission! NMLRA has a booth there too!

Don't forget to stop by Cookie at his Chuckwagon for some homemade dessert and drink plenty of lemonade! They even have Equal for the type 2 diabetics like me!

Even the wife goes--most of the time I think she's there to make sure I don't go "overboard", LOL!

Dave

 

[longbow-hunter]

Hey BD i'll be there both days just like last year. Give a call and we can meet there.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I have been making pilgrimages to Dixons since he was in an old barn a couple miles from the current place. (Maybe 1975) But never made it to the Fair. Looks like a special trip is in the future.

I'll second the reccommendation to stop at Dietrich's meats. Souse and scrapple and ring pudding, Don't know if they still sell schnitz but the best is the jerky. And some Kutztown bottling works Birch Beer to wash it down.

 

[BigDeutscher]

Yesterday was Wonderful Good
Tammy and I made the trip to Dixons to pick up some supplies for my new build and saw the signs
for the Kutztown German Fair ,7 days of good food,
Craftsmen from the area and lots of family fun and entertainment.It like going back to the 1950's
Good folks haveing good clean fun.
Birch Beer {Kutztown brand} Funnel cakes .
Shnitz.Bratwourst.Nachwourst,und Holzschaft mit Huhn.
And you cant go to Kutztown with out stopping at Dietrich's Meats ...The best Smoked German Meats you can buy Wonderful Good !
Oh yes back to Dixons....Lots of new and old guns coming in for the fair
Deutsch

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I know the fair is supposed to be for builders and craftsmen to show off. If I drug along two originals that I have, would there be a likelihood of getting some information about the school style etc.

 

[ADK Ephraim]

Yes! There are representatives at the Gunmakers Fair from the Pennsylvania Longrifle Museum nearby who are more than happy to render opinions on original guns. They'll have a nice display, as well. Look for them. Mms

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

You guys are getting me hungry already and the Fair isn't until the end of the month! Mrs. Dietrich would bottle or can the OINK if she could! We LOVE their smoked pork chops & get 'em cut special to 1" thick for us. Forget your cooler and it 100 degrees out? No problem, she'll sell ya a Styrofoam cooler to get your meats home in tip-top shape!

Oh ya, don't forget to go to Dixon's too :haha: :rotf:

Hope to see you folks there!

Dave

 

[robin v. robinson]

WARNING.....Going to Dixons can set you on and muzzleloader frinze,went there for the first time 'bout five years ago, six flintlocks later, well ya all know. You've been WARNED!!!!!!!!!

 

[wolfers]

Hi, hey how is the evenyt on Sunday. Do people pack up early and hit the trail? or is it like Saturday? I just can't get there until Sunday.

 

[colmoultrie]

I'll be there Saturday (and probably Sunday) hanging out with Chuck (you know him, Big Deutscher). I'll be in period attire - say hello. I will probably be wearing a cocked hat with a red/blue cockade.

Birdman, Dave, hope to see you both there!

I'll have a few gun cases along to sell, and maybe a snapsack or two, but most of the time I just want to hang out, sit in on a seminar or two, and drool over Allen Martin's stuff, along with a lot of others. While it will look anachronistic, I'll definitely have my camera out and snapping.