WAJAM comes to Cashmere
By Steve Godfrey
July 05, 2011
Members from the Traditional Bowhunters of Washington, the Wenatchi River Traditional Archers, and the Cashmere Museum join forces in the Founders' Days Crunch Pak Grand Parade to promote the upcoming WAJAM event happening this weekend at the museum.
Remember those crude bows and arrows you made as a kid? Couldn’t hit the side of a barn with those things. Okay, maybe you had a deprived childhood and didn’t get to do that. But you undoubtedly wanted to. Well, you have a chance to revisit your childhood dreams this weekend in Cashmere.
The Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village will be hosting WAJAM 2011 – a bow and arrow making jamboree - July 8,9, and 10. The Traditional Bowhunters of Washington will be in town to promote archery the way the Native Americans did it.
They will offer instruction on how to make a bow, arrows, and string. They will also have a session on the basics of flint knapping.
Kids aged 12 and under will receive, while supplies last, one free vine maple (or similar) stave - the hunk of wood to make the bow out of. Each youth that participates must be accompanied by an adult mentor. Note: patience is a good thing to bring to the table, as it can take more than a full day to make a serviceable bow and arrows.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own supplies, including stave, draw knife, pocket knife, spokeshave, rasp, file, cabinet scraper, sandpaper, portable workbench, bow horse, fletching jig, glue, and whatever else you might think you need. Please remember to mark all of your tools with your name so you can get them back.
Food for breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase. There will also be a potluck dinner Saturday night, and all attendees are encouraged to bring their favorite dish to share.
And what’s an event like this without a raffle? The drawing will be Saturday night, and donations for the raffle are encouraged and appreciated. To donate items for the raffle, please contact Tom Baldwin at 670-1770.
Camping is also available. If you want to camp out with no hookups or electricity, there will be plenty of tent, RV, and trailer camping at the Cashmere Sportsman’s Club. Those needing hookups can contact the Chelan County Expo Center at 782-3232 – but you need to have a reservation, so call now!
The 2011 WAJAM will officially end Sunday at noon.
For more information, call Tom Baldwin in Cashmere at 670-1770. You can also check out the website of the Traditional Bowhunters of Washington at www.tbwonline.org.
