Once
a month, usually on the third Sunday of the month,
a group of primitive skills enthusiasts gather
at the Pasadena Roving Archers range in Pasadena,
CA.
A lot of fun stuff happens at these gatherings.
There will usually be people working on wood bows
but other activities taking place can be, bowstrings
(natural or man-made materials), arrows (doweled
shafts as well as natural shoot shafts), leatherwork,
atlatls and atlatl darts, gourds, baskets, bead
work, flint knapping, quiver making, as well as
considerable discussion on the finer points of
all these activities.
While many participants in these gatherings are
members and contributors to the internet forum,
PaleoPlanet, that certainly is not required to
stop in and have a good time with us. It's not
at all unusual for folks walking by to stop and
ask questions about what we're doing. It's also
not unusual for these folks to begin attending
the gatherings on a regular basis.
For those individuals interested in learning some
of what we're doing we freely give information
and assistance in learning. For some pursuits
we may have loaner tools available and sometimes
materials are available for a nominal cost. But
be cautioned: we are not a formal class, what
you learn is up to you. We're happy to answer
questions and offer advice but this is not a classroom.
We sometimes have younger people who want to learn
something and that's fine, but we are not a babysitting
service so dropping the kids off while parents
go elsewhere is not what we're about, either.
Some of the participants begin showing up about
9am and others get there as their schedules allow.
Some folks stay all day while others only stay
an hour or two. The park closes at sunset so that's
our limit. Be forewarned that parking can sometimes
be in short supply. The area is used by a number
of dog walkers, runners, archers, and people using
the fly casting pond so the parking can get tight.
If necessary, parking may be found near the entrance
to the park, be sure to check signage to assure
that you're parking legally.
If you have questions about the Pasadena Gatherings
please email me through the contact page of this
website.