Hawkins to host
Vick Russell Knife & Tomahawk Throw
By JOHN SPARKS

This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, February 17 and 18, Hawkins City Park will be transformed back to the 1840’s as contestants gather for the first annual “Vick Russell Knife & Tomahawk Throw.”That’s right…a knife and tomahawk throw. The throw has been organized by Vicki Russell Prestridge, Hawkins, for both professional and amateur throwers. The competition will also be open to a junior division for those under 16. Cash prizes will be awarded in the pro divisions for both men and women. Trophies and prizes will also be awarded.
 

Assisting Prestridge with details of the competition is Dale Tate, a professional custom knife and tomahawk maker and seller who is a Hawkins native. Tate splits his time between Hawkins and Colorado. He is a member of the International Knife Throw Hall of Fame.
 

The “transformation?” All contestants must wear clothing that is similar to that worn by pre-civil war pioneers who settled much of Texas and the West. Prestridge suggests those who come to watch the competition bring cameras.
 

Knives used in the competition must fit strict specifications. First they must be of primitive style with one edge sharpened. Handles must be of natural materials (leather, wood, bone, antler or rawhide. Blade cannot be over 2-½ inches wide. Knives will be thrown by the handle only.
 

Tomahawks must have a separate head and wood handle. No taped handles and the cutting edge must not exceed four inches nor be narrower than two inches. No double bit or spikes.
 

The targets for the throwing competition are slices of cottonwood tree trunks, six-to-eight inches thick and up to 3 feet in diameter.