The first ever Catskill Mountain Makers Camp (2019) was a great success!
Hosted by Blackthorn Resort in East Durham NY, this event was the brain child and orchestration of Austin Handle, a young guy with a bright future ahead of him! His passion for blacksmithing and the whole “maker movement” erupted when he randomly met Jimmy Diresta at a general store and realized they lived in the same tiny town in the Catskills. Their friendship blossomed and Austin dreamed up an event that will definitely grow into one of the great maker meet ups of the east coast. His family has owned and ran the blackthorn resort for most of his life, and he’s seen them throw some spectacular events with one annual event attracting as many as 10,000 people. They had the infrastructure, the crew, and the accomodations- now they just needed Austin’s spark.
Tamara Robertson (Mythbusters)
Getting to hang out with your heroes, and make them your friends- that’s the community we built!
I first heard about the even in April or May and immediately saw the potential. A fall weekend in October, at the peak of the leaves changing colors, at a resort in the mountains of Northern NY…..oh heck yes!
Austin did a phenomenal job lining up an all star crew of demonstrators, volunteers, brands to sponsor the event and donate prizes, and all manner of workshops and hands on activities. As the days approached, I had a few phone conversations with Austin and did my best to help him organize (though wish I could have helped more. I don’t feel like any particular thing came from it, but it was great to feel like a part of it all), line up a few sponsors and dream up a few logistics. As the day approached, people started signing up and in the end the event went off incredibly well.
I took the opportunity to head to East Durham about 5 days early, to get a lay of the land and help set things up. Driving my 1987 VW Vanagon Syncro (4wd VW Bus) which is a comfortable and purpose built little camper on only side roads, I made the 500 mile drive taking only back roads and one way highways and seeing the sights and small towns along the way. It was a long drive, a long day, but I got to stop off at antique stores, eat at diners, see national historic landmarks, and meet some awesome people!
Once I arrived at the Blackthorn, it was great to settle into a campground that supports something like 300 seasonal campers, has rooms and lodging for hundreds of guests, a huge dining hall, a great bar, fantastic bathrooms, and just overall- great infrastructure.
The resort itself encompasses about 100 acres in a TINY town of East Durham NY. A reasonable drive from the Albany airport (as well as NYC), getting to this gem in the mountains isn’t too hard, but leaving might be. The entire town has the feel of second or third generation Irish immigrants (the entire town is incredibly Irish themed, VERY Irish, EVERYTHING is Irish) purchasing small summer getaways in the mountains. It feels like all this happened in the 30s and 40s, and the town just sorta…. stayed that way.
There are many “resorts” but they all have a very old feel to them, most are comprised of extremely small (“Tiny house” by todays standards) cottages and little more. There are some private homes up there too, and some are large farm houses from the turn of the century, and others are just tiny little places to stay, on sprawling acreage. The overall “feel” of the town is a perfect example of small town America, things move slowly, there is a general store and about two good places to eat, the gas station/deli is the heart of the town.
The blackthorn feels like the biggest resort in the town, but not necessarily the newest, they all have the same vibe.
Leading up to the event, Austin and I made a million trips to and from Jimmy Diresta’s shop to gather and borrow the tools we needed to make the event happen. Its impossible to speak of this event without thanking Jimmy, his passion for the community, willingness to lend tools, and overall support of the event brought the people in (A tricky task for a first year event) and he put the legs under the event so that now- it should be able to run (not walk) all on it’s own. We moved multiple welders and weld stations, anvils and forges, saws and hand tools. At one point, we even moved a partially built cannon (we never did get around to building that carriage assembly for your cannon Austin!). Austin’s crew had already set up a “big top” style circus tent that was absolutely huge, as well as a variety of smaller tents and structures for demonstrators to work with. Nick, their in house electrician had separate services and breaker panels wired into every demo area so everyone had plenty of convenient electricity, without much need for extension chords. A representative of ABANA brought 4 coal forges and anvils and set up a teaching area, where Brett and Jess helped feverishly day and night for anyone interested to come try their hand at forging. Ellen Durkin demonstrated some forging in her signature style, making some incredible wearable pieces and showing off her collection. The crew of “modern forge” came and forged a ships anchor, a hammer, and a variety of other wares- working as a team and always keeping the audience engaged. Richard of 42 Fab was teaching welding in one corner, armed with 4 MIG welders and full setups for anyone who wanted to make something. At some point I gave a brief talk about forge welding and patterning damascus steel with the help of my lovely assistant- George VonDriska.
Social Media brings people together
here we are, unfollowing each other on instagram.
In other tents, Paul Jackman carved a giant hammer, several demonstrations of CNC routers making various things were going on, the crew from Bastion Head carved spoons and axe handles, and would help you to do your own, there was a DIY Pen/bowl turning setup in place with about 4 wood lathes and some great instructors, a massage station was setup with a local crew of certified massage therapists (which was AWESOME), Jess Crowe and total boat were pouring some epoxy, some makers were showing off their school bus to RV conversion, a high school student with a mobile machine shop was demonstrating some basic machining, and vendors were vending antiques and hand tools. I’m SURE i’m missing something, as there was a ton going on and i’m writing this weeks after the event, but overall- it was absolutely incredible to see all these makers, all these artists, and all these various forms of instruction and demonstration happen in one place and to watch as everyone gained new skills, appreciations, and friends.
Total Boat was there doing giveaways of epoxy, showing their product lines, demonstrating with Jess Crow, and being a voice and presence in the community. Arbor tech was there showcasing their devices, which wood people use to do wood people things (i’m not a wood person, so…. I just don’t really know?). Maker Made CNC was there with Tim Sway demonstrating their super affordable CNC router, they were showing off their new line of 3d printers, and they were giving away both to several lucky individuals! There were some GREAT prizes donated and one night, a drawing was performed and most people walked away with some cool stuff!
Paul Jackman made a giant hammer
Tamara Robertson and I borrowed it, and Mark Adams took our picture.
One of the highlights of it all was Mark Adams, a photographer from Cleveland Ohio who found his niche in the maker world. After snapping some really iconic pictures at Spring Make, he learned his style and set up his photo booth at the makers camp. All day he’d hang out with his camera, in front of his makeshift studio- and encouraged EVERYONE to come get their picture taken again and again. His true artistry is not just in the crispness of his photos and his iconic lighting- it’s in his ability to get people to show their true self in front of the lens. He’s mastered the art of convincing introverts to take portraits and not to be shy, often pulling several people who didn’t really know each other into a single picture and capturing the moments as friendships blossomed. I think you’ll find so few pictures “of” the event, because you’ll find so many portraits taken by Mark- that man is a wizard, who captures your soul as an image, and promptly emails it to you for you to use and enjoy! I can’t thank Mark enough for the content he’s provided and the pillar he’s built within the community and this event, and for putting up with myself and Tamara Robertson insisting on literally hundreds of silly pictures. You rock Mark, and i’m proud to be your friend!
Friends, New and Old
Let’s talk a little more about the actual event space. The price was quite affordable considering the options for camping or lodging, and the lodging coming out to cheaper then any hotel at any conference i’ve ever attended. The rooms are modest, it’s a place to sleep and really not much more than that. There basic, small, and cozy- think cabins in the woods combined with basic “dormatory living”, but the toilets will work, the bed will be comfortable, and it’s not going to rain on you. There were several, clean, permanent bathroom facilities throughout the site, complete with warm showers - perfect for those who camped. Electrical hookups were available and where I camped (section 8), I had some very….interesting neighbors (shout out to Greg!) but they were a cool part of the overall experience. I am proud of my little bus which i’ve built to be my home on wheels, and thanks to my most recent upgrade- a Webasto gasoline powered furnace, I was warm and cozy on the cold nights. My solar panels recharged my batteries each day, providing plenty of power to run my fridge, charge my devices, and run the furnace for the 9 days total that I stayed in the bus.
Our Pittsburgh Crew
Joey, Curt, Craig, and Dylan
We were blessed with no rain throughout the event, sunny days in the mid 60s, but rather cold at night- one night hitting around 40*F. That was fine though, as it brought everyone closer together and you could find all the 120 attendees cuddled around campfires, drinking beer and chatting it up. If you’ve ever attended an event like Work Bench Con or Spring Make, you know that some of the best parts of the entire event- is hanging out at the hotel bar chatting with your friends and instagram/youtube favorites. The vibe of that hotel bar, was the entire goal of this event and at ANY given point over the three days- it was like hanging out with old friends (even if they were new). The bar served very affordable beers (though they closed down early- so be sure to bring a cooler and a stash for around the campfire next year), had an cafeteria style lunch (which you’d pay for, but it was very affordable) featuring burgers, sausages, meatball subs, etc, and then there was breakfast and dinner. If you bought the inclusive pass or paid for your meal ticket, your wrist band would get you into the dining hall for breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was a sit down affair, with a waitress taking your order and bringing you a sizable portion of eggs, French toast, etc- they had a fantastic menu and a truly incredible meal for us! Dinner was even better, with large portions of chef prepared meals brought to you at their full service, restaurant style dining hall. Coffee was graciously provided by the Wake and Make Coffee Company (@wakeandmake on instagram) and there were several vegans in attendance that managed to find some form of food (though i’m not sure what the particular vegetarian, gluten free, or vegan options were) and certainly no one starved. The modern amenities and conveniences we all know and love like cell reception and wifi, were available and decent (I have Verizon, I always had at least half my signal, and there was “Some” wifi coverage).
The account i’ve described so far is just my views and experiences, and a general recounting of events to help you plan your trip next year. I’m not speaking for the event, i’m not speaking for the resort, and i’m not trying to imply any formal endorsement. I feel bad if I left anyone out, but it was a whirlwind of opportunity and interaction, and the experience as a whole was much greater than any particular moment or event. Sitting around a campfire with a beer, forging with wood workers that have seldom played with metal, learning the modern fabrication side of wood and plastic (CNC Routing and 3Dprinting), and watching everyone make new friends…..that’s what the makers camp was to me. I wasn’t there to sell myself to brands, and brands weren’t there to sell themselves to me- but yet, those organic interatctaions that occurred between PEOPLE, the voices behind the companies, the social media accounts, and the youtube videos will certainly result in lasting friendships, partnerships, and growth for anyone that was welcoming too it and approachable. I met some incredible people there, and I genuinely can’t wait for next year!
See ya there!
Jimmy Diresta is the thick setting epoxy that bound the event, love ya buddy!