Custom made knives and cutlery by over 50 different knifemakers will be available during the Spirit of the Blade Custom Knife Show at the Miami County Fairgrounds on Friday, March 3, and Saturday, March 4.
Courtesy | Spirit of the Blade Custom Knife Show
By Matt Clevenger
TROY — More than 50 different knifemakers will display their custom-made knives and cutlery at the Miami County Fairgrounds on Friday, March 3, and Saturday, March 4, during the annual Spirit of the Blade Custom Knife Show.
“It’s geared towards custom knives,” show organizer Joel Worley said. “We have a good mix of guys who are forging their blades and guys who are doing stock removal, which is just grinding them out from a bar of steel.”
“We’ve got everything from beginner knifemakers starting out, to experienced American Bladesmith Society Master Smiths,” Worley said. “There’s a good range of different types of knives, from user-grade all the way up to investment-grade knives.”
The show will be held in the Duke Lundgard Building at the Miami County Fairgrounds from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, March 3, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. Admission is $5; kids 12 and under are admitted free. The “Where There’s Smoke There’s Flavor” food truck will also be onsite.
“We’ll have a barbecue truck that’s sets up there so people can have lunch,” Worley said. “It’s phenomenal.”
“We do raffles periodically throughout the day,” he said. “Your admission will get you entered in for door prizes.”
The Spirit of the Blade Custom Knife Show has been held at the Miami County Fairgrounds for the last six years.
“It’s a real intimate show,” Worley said. “We’ve had people ask us to move to a bigger building, because we have a wait list for makers to get into the show at this point. But we like having it in a small building.”
“We like to be able to keep the admission process down, so people can bring their family and enjoy a day at the show without having to spend a lot of money,” he said.
In addition to custom knives, the show will also feature custom knifemaking tools and supplies, and a limited amount of commercial knives and cutlery. More information can be found online at https://maplewoodforge.business.site/, or through the Maplewood Forge Facebook page.
The show is organized by Worley and his wife Misty Worley. In addition to promoting the show, Worley is also a custom-knifemaker himself, and owns and operates Maplewood Forge LLC.
“My wife does most of the work to put this show on,” Worley said. “She really goes above and beyond to make it happen every year. The show wouldn’t happen without her.”
“I’m not a show promoter, I’m a knifemaker,” he said. “I’ll have some knives on the table at the show as well.”
