FAQ About Eugene Oregon & the Knife Club

I told people that Eugene has an airport and on every Thursday they clear off the cows on the runway and let planes take off and land.

Well they finally removed all the cows and we now have planes landing and taking off eight days a week. The airlines currently serving Eugene are South West, Avelo, Alaska, American, Delta and United. For more information: http://www.eugeneairport.com/

The Eugene airport is located about six miles from downtown and from the Knife Show location. There are courtesy cars to the motels around town but it probably is a good idea to rent a car for your stay here. Weekend rates are usually quite good. Access to the Eugene area for a stranger is pretty easy and it is a straight shot from the airport.

The most obvious way to Eugene is via car. But for those that are coming from far away, we would suggest that you fly. Eugene has its own airport; or if you must, you can fly into Portland and drive the 100 miles south to Eugene. Others have flown into Portland, driven west to the Coast and then taken the coast route south to Florence and then east to Eugene. A fantastic journey but absolutely not a one day trip. Might even be a three day trip if you like to stop and gawk. But mark the fact that it is a beautiful trip rain or shine.

Some folks that want to make a trip out of it have flown into Seattle and driven the 300 miles to Eugene. It is an  easy drive and a pleasant trip if you have never taken it before. I have also had some that fly into San Francisco and take the coast route to Eugene. That is about 500 miles but again a delightful trip. Lots to see and do.

I have suggested that one can get to Eugene by boat. Actually you can but don’t ask unless you are dead serious about it.

Eugene offers quite a bit to the visitor who is looking for other things to do while here. Our bike trail system is the best in the world and one can rent a bike, jog or run until you drop. The Hult Center is a performance hall that is noted for its acoustics. Check the schedule to see if a concert is going on while here. The Valley River Mall is a great place to hang out and features many stores that will allow you to shop until you drop.

Look to our web site for some Interesting Ideas.

Eugene is also known for its fine dining. Fine means good eating in almost any cuisine that suits you. Our page on Eateries will help you while in town.

Or you can link to this site for more to see and do.  (Eugene Oregon)

I am sure that the United States is 80 – 90% represented from the 50 states with the people who come to our Show. The non USA membership which usually comes to the Show are from Australia, England, South Africa, Japan, Sweden, Canada, Italy and New Zealand. Our membership is about 1400 members and an accurate count of the people that attend our Show is 5000 people.

Table reservations for the upcoming April Show are handled in this fashion. Those that were table holders at the last April Show have the first right of refusal for tables at the next year’s Show. The deadline for this right is December 15th. At this time and date we will draw from the waiting list those who have a paid reservation and are members of our organization. Notification of tables will happen via snail mail on January 1st. Those that did not receive a table can have their table reservation money returned if they like.

Many years ago we assigned tables in a random order. We did not want to segregate collectors from knife makers. After all our association was based on the notion that we embraced “anything that goes cut.”  Over the years people requested their same table locations and so we have kept this the rule of assignment. Those that had tables at the last Show have the first right of refusal on that table location and for that matter a table at the next Show. Those vacant tables at the December 15th deadline are offered to the persons on the waiting list on a first come first serve basis. If you want to see a floor plan of our Show, click on this link (Acrobat format) (OKCA Table Floor Plan)

The mix of people that are table holders is a very close 50 – 50 mix between collectors and knife makers. Collectors are those that are involved with historical cutlery in forms of swords, razors, sheath knives, pocket knives and custom handmade knives. And the list goes on.

In addition to the collectors and makers, you can also find supplies for the making of knives, knife sharpening tools, stone knives, commercial knives, new knives and knife related supplies. And don’t forget the collection of hat pins from the turn of the century. We have something for everyone in the world of cut.

The sharing of tables is not allowed at this time. When we were in the previous location the room could only hold 300 tables. Our waiting list of 50 people did not encourage us to relocate to a room that would house 470 tables. Therefore at that time we allowed the sharing of our eight foot tables. We were then forced to relocate for the year 2000 Show due to construction and needed to sell enough tables to fill the room or for that matter pay for the room. Until we run out of room again we will not allow sharing of tables.

Since the public is not allowed on Friday, all persons are required to have their current membership cards or their Show badges visually displayed. Early entry on Saturday or Sunday is restricted to members and badge holders.

Table holders that leave early have committed the one deadly sin against our organization. Leaving early or covering a table during the stated public hours are in strict violation of the contract signed by a table holder.

People come to see a Knife Show and an empty or covered table is not part of what we advertised. Anyone that is not open for business during these hours is in violation of the terms of our agreement with the organization and those persons will not be allowed back into our Show.

Therefore when we advertise the hours of our Show, those are real honest to goodness “we are a Show” hours. Visitors to our Show should take comfort that they will see a complete Show no matter when they come.

The Knewslettter is the backbone of the Oregon Knife Collectors organization. There are nine publications that run from September through May. The publication is between 8 and 12 pages in length and is a mixture of Club Knews and articles that our members submit. The Knewslettter is quite different; the articles are unique, sometimes one of a kind offerings, educational, humorous and entertaining. Our membership contributes to this as a way to help and expand our common interests.

The Knewslettter offers a part of our Club to those who cannot be here to share in person. The cost of membership is well worth it even if one were to only get the Knewslettter.

A collection of the past Knewslettters can be found here…

We are going to have two Raffle categories at the show this year. The first being, “Win a day with a Knifemaker” this raffle is for club members who would like a day with a knife maker to learn how to make a knife from beginning to end. Four winners will be selected. $25 per ticket. 

The second raffle will be for club members who are knifemakers who would like to turn their hobby of knife making into a business.

They will win a 2 hour Zoom class with Ray Ellingsen who will consult on how to make a business of your knife hobby. Ray has been consulting with small business owners for years and if you know Ray Ellingsen, you also know he’s been running around the show since he was 11 years old. A great combination to help boost your small knife business to the next level no matter where you’re at currently. 

Door prizes are prizes given to our guests and visitors who have paid entry to our Show. Just by filling out the coupon and putting it in the bucket makes you eligible for numerous prizes that have been donated to the Club.  We make many visitors to our Show very happy.

Door Prizes are for the visitors to our Show. Members are not allowed to participate in these drawings.

Oh boy do we have  demonstrations during the Show. In an effort to have a little something for everyone we feature demonstrations which go non stop on Saturday. In the past we have had demonstrations on flint knapping (making stone knives), sword fighting, knife sharpening, scrimshaw, martial arts, knife forging, fencing and engraving. We are always interested in having demonstrations that are new and educational so if you have any ideas for us, drop us a note.

The displays at the Oregon Show are often referred to as museum quality displays. These collections are presented as education and visual entertainment to the visitors of the Oregon Show. I do not think there is a better representation of displays like this anywhere else in the world. The best art exhibition in the world would be the correct analogy to describe the contents of the “Collections that go Cut” at our Show. There are approximately 24 such exhibition displays and the subject matter varies from pocketknives to hat pins. Or anything that goes “cut.”

There use to be three contests that were held at the Oregon Knife Show. Now there is only one.

The handmade knife competition allows makers to compete with their knives in various categories. Makers compete against each other and are judged accordingly. The judging occurs on Friday and the winning makers will have their knives on display during the Show. First time knifemakers may enter the competition if they are members of the OKCA and have never submitted a knife in competition before. This category does not require that the maker have a table at our Show

A club knife is a knife made out of a club. (Just kidding). Actually a Club knife is a project that we started many years ago to help fund some of our events at the Oregon Knife Show. A listing and pictures of all Oregon Knife Club knives are within these web pages. ( OKCA Club Knives )  For the last few years we have had 50 knives to sell to our members. The Club knife also serves the purpose of presenting a one of a kind knife, totally unique. This knife represents an investment to the buyer. Almost all of the Oregon knives have escalated in value. Some so much that it still amazes us today.

There are numerous things that Eugene, Oregon is known for. One is its rich interest in track and field sports. Another is its extensive and lovely bicycle paths. But the big deal here is a sport that anyone can participate in called coffee drinking. Especially Espresso coffee. There are so many coffee shops and stands around that it seems almost like every corner in town has one. And there in lies the story about an Espresso stand at our Show. In fact the Espresso has become such a big deal that in the renovation of the Lane Events Center has made a permanent Espresso stand just outside the doors of our Show. Rest rooms are just down the hall.

Back in the early days of the OKCA we were very concerned about people coming to our Show and having nothing to do on a Saturday night. Being a stranger in town is no fun when you have no place to go. Because our membership knows the town and what to do on a Saturday Night, We now have a Saturday Nite Presentation Awards. This event honors those that have been judged best knife makers in various categories and also makes presentations for the best displays at the Show.

The Oregon Knife Show is a show about knives or things that go cut. This means that 90% of any  table should be devoted to cutlery or cutlery related items. Most are devoted to 100%. Firearms are not allowed at our Show unless permission is granted from the Show coordinator. In these cases a firearm may be a part of a display and are never allowed for sale. A bayonet collection would be greatly enhanced with a proper firearm attached so in this case it would be allowed. We have tried hard over the years to make this an all Knife Show and we have succeeded in this effort.

The difference between a Membership card and a Show badge is that all members have a membership card to show that they are a member of  our organization. Only table holders have Show badges. The purpose of the Show badge is to allow people to identify the person who are table holders and where they live. The Show badge is also a wonderful memento of their visit to the Oregon Knife Show. These badges change every year and there are several members that not only save their membership cards year after year but also save their Show badges year after year. During the Show the membership cards and the Show badges will allow free entry to our Show. During non public hours it is absolutely essential that everyone have a card or badge in full view.

The opening ceremony started several years ago when it was decided that we wanted to launch our Show with something different that people would never forget. The first year we had a Bag Piper open our Show. This was so popular we did it again the following year. Since then we have had the Oriental Lion Dance, Native American ceremonial dances and a lady that did acrobatics on a free hanging rope. This special opening of the Show occurs about 15 minutes before the Show opens to the public. Just being a member of the OKCA is worth it to see this event. The opening ceremony is a best kept secret and no one knows what this will be before the Show. In recent years it has been difficult to find an opening ceremony that works for our venue. We are always open to have this event but it is a year by year decision.

In Oregon it is legal to make, sell, buy or own switchblade knives. However, IT IS ILLEGAL here to carry a switchblade knife, a gravity knife, a dagger or a dirk concealed on one’s person, or for a convicted felon to possess a switchblade or gravity knife. Thirty states have banned possession or sale of switchblade knives. Under federal law it is ILLEGAL to mail, carry or ship a switchblade or gravity knife across state lines.

Oregon Knife Show Etiquette is important in order for a Show to be a fun experience. A Show is best, however, when visitors follow a few basic rules of courtesy. These are:

*Do not handle knives without permission.

*Do not touch the blade or the edge of any knife offered or displayed as a collector’s item.

*Do not wipe off the blade of a knife. Let the exhibitor do it.

*Do not open more than one blade of a folding knife at a time.

*Do not block a sale table if you are only “window shopping.”

*If you have brought knives to trade or sell, obtain permission before displaying them at or in
front of someone’s table.

*Please do not interrupt or comment on any transaction.