The 2012 Pedernales Knap-In will be held the weekend of April 12-15. This is the weekend before the Nibblet’s Bluff Knap-In in Louisiana. The big news is that it will be held at a new location!

The old location, Ft. Martin Scott in Fredericksburg, is unavailable due to the field (our parking and camping area) being leased to the Former Texas Rangers Association for construction of a Texas Ranger Heritage Center. We have had many good Knap-Ins at Ft. Martin Scott and it was a pretty darn good site, but it is time to move on.

The new Pedernales Knap-In site will be at the Blanco County Fairgrounds. This is located on the north end of Johnson City on the west side of U.S. Hwy 281, and on the south side of the Pedernales River.

You can preview the site by going to either Google Maps (satellite view) or Google Earth. Navigate to Johnson City, then follow U.S. Hwy 281 north to the Pedernales River. The rodeo arena is a good, easy to find landmark. You will be able to see the grove of trees between the rodeo arena and the barns.

I think knappers will be pleased with the new site. We have access to a small covered pavilion and a large area between the pavilion and the rodeo arena with several nice shade trees. The Blanco County Fairgrounds will offer knappers plenty of parking, easy in-easy out access, several nearby convenience stores and restaurants, electricity for late-night knapping, water faucets, on-site trash dumpsters, and enclosed restrooms. Knappers will be able to camp at their knapping area or in the parking area. Better yet, since the fairgrounds are adjacent to the Pedernales River, camping is available next to the river if one so desires.

What we don’t have is motor home/camp trailer hookups. However, there is a nice RV campground about one mile south of the fairgrounds on the east side of U.S. Hwy 281. There are also a couple of motels in Johnson City for those who want more comfortable accommodations.

Given the high cost of travel these days, we are trying very hard to maintain a cost-effective and affordable Knap-In. There will be no charge for camping, however, all knappers and/or vendors will be required to pay a $10 registration fee for the event. As usual, we will once again be asking knappers and vendors to donate items for our Saturday afternoon auction/fundraiser to help cover Knap-In expenses.

The Pedernales Knap-In will be open to the public at no charge. Since we are located right on the west side of U.S. Hwy 281 with high visibility and plenty of parking, we hope to attract the public in good numbers. We hope everyone reading this will spread the word to their knapping friends so we can have a good turnout!