MegaCon

February 26, 2009

MegaCon ‘09: Coming Soon!

There will be anime events all weekend long – what more could one want? Listen to Life in Japan with Jeremy Mauney about his full time manga assistant position in Japan or prove how devoted of an anime fan you are by competing in the Super Anime Trivia (Hosted by The Consortium) and win some prizes! Get your dance on at the CYBERIA Dance Party – an Anime based, upbeat techno festivity centered around music from Japan and Europe.

As for gaming, there are a few different categories to choose from in cluding Board and Card Gaming, Miniatures, Hero Clix, Paint & Take, and more. There are far too many to list so see for yourself what resources are available for you to dominate the playing tables with.

A few other exciting experiences one may encounter at MegaCon 09 are things such as Ghost Hunting 101 – learn about paranormal research and investigation, Comic Book Flashback – going back to the classics, an Emerald Rose Concert, or play part of the Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 3 Tournament!

For more details including hotels, directions, MegaCon exclusives and more, go to the MegaCon Convention website!

MegaCon 2009!
February 27-March1 2009
Orange County Convention Center Hall D
Orlando, Florida

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2009 Bay Area Renaissance Festival

February 26, 2009

Bay Area Ren Fest - Rain or Shine

Join in on the fun with King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine Parr at the 2009 Bay Area Renaissance Festival! Wander down the lanes, admire the hand crafted wares, or feast on a fantastic array of renaissance cuisine!

While wandering down the streets at this year’s festival one may see acts such as the Tortuga Twins, The Villagers of Fittleworth, DaVinci Brothers, For Love or Money, Mudskippers, Washing Well Wenches, and many, many more! You can interact with these folk to make the most of your experience in Fittleworth and feel like you are truly a part of the era of the Tudor Dynasty!

Take part of the six course Feast of Fantasy! Some items that will be included in this feast are Artichoke Crab Puff, French Onion Soup, Wedge Salad, Slow Roast Beef Loin, and Dark Chocolate and Orange Truffle. This is not at all the entire meal so in order to experience the essence of the feast you must find out for yourself! Other snacks that will be available throughout the fair are Fish & Chips, Apple Dumplings, Cheesecake Brownies (you may want to take a few extra strolls up and down those lanes), Turkey Legs, Spanikopita, Gyro, Smoothies, and a plethora more.

Other special daily events will include Queen’s Tea at 3:30pm and Medieval Smoker at 4:00pm. There will also be an Avon Lady in the Children’s Realm , offering a free Makeup to help all the ladies look like true royalty! There will also be a Hypnotist Show, a Blood Drive as well as a Food Drive. So you not only will receive plenty of entertainment but you can give back a little, too!
Dogs and cats welcome.

For more information visit the website for the Bay Area Renaissance Festival at MOSI.

2009 Bay Area Renaissance Festival at MOSI
February 21-April 5, 2009
Open Weekends and Festival Friday (March 13th)
North Tampa, Florida

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Knife Throwing: For Beginners

February 13, 2009

In this edition of the Heavenly Swords Blog, we bring to you knife throwing: the art of projecting a heavy piece of steel into a sturdy board. Knife safety is very important and we would hate to find out that any of you newbies out there cut off a toe or the tail of your neighbor’s cat because you used the wrong equipment or technique. So, here are a few tips on how to keep your fingers free from harm (as well as everybody else’s) when throwing…

Choosing the right Throwers:

Although you can typically throw any knife, the best to work with is one that is actually designed for the sport. If you use a hunting knife rather than a thrower, chances are you aren’t going to throw with as much accuracy nor will it withstand many thrusts into its target. So choose wisely. We recommend anything made by reputable manufacturers such as: Gil Hibben and his 12” Competition Thrower or Hibben Generation 2 Small Thrower or Kit Rae’s Blackjet 8.5″ Thrower Triple Set.

Set Up:

Choose something sturdy, replaceable, and something that you won’t get whacked in the head for destroying (like that antique table in the attic that doesn’t belong to you). Pine wood is an excellent choice. If you can, nail the pine to an approximate 1” plywood board and attach that to two 2 X 4’s placed about 4 feet apart and dug deep enough into the ground to tolerate the blows of throwing.

Finally! How to Throw:

WARNING: Knives are capable of bouncing back so make sure your friends are behind you and watch out for yourself (and any small creatures hanging around) too. We know of a couple close calls.

Start out by standing 4-5 paces away from your target with the knife in hand at handle. Throw it at the target (while facing it) with a simple overhand pitch and keep it as straight as you can when you release to prevent it from spinning to the side. If the knife’s edge hits first, point facing up, move back a pace or so – if it hits facing down, move forward. After practicing like this, you will eventually figure out the knife’s natural one turn range. To throw a spin and a half or double spin, move back a few paces and throw. Once you get the hang of this, you can begin to work on your accuracy by creating a target on the board (marker, paper plates, etc). Do NOT try the apple technique yet. Please.

Once you master this, you can move on to advanced techniques.

-> Buy Throwing Knives <-

Also, check our Newest Products section as we will be adding more soon!

Disclaimer: Please be smart! By practicing with this technique you are agreeing that we at Heavenly Swords are not liable should you or anyone else (or anything) become injured or damaged.

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Hibben’s Eye of Drakonus

February 13, 2009

Gill Hibben and Kit Rae team together for this 2003 edition of Hibben’s Annual Fantasy Knife series. The creation they have come up with goes above and beyond what the knife industry today has seen. This beautiful fantasy dagger doesn’t even look like something of this world, making it a unique addition to your collection! Etched with Gil Hibben and Kit Rae’s signatures, this collector’s piece will surely stand out.

The Eye of Drakonus is made of the finest materials and craftsmanship. It features a tempered 420 J2 Stainless steel blade and a solid metal handle with polished black chrome finish and textured acrylic, dragon scale handgrips. It also comes with an antique red finish display stand which only accentuates this exquisite collectible even more!

Features:

Overall Length: 19”
Blade Length: 9 7/8”
Blade Thickness: 1/8”

Official Links:

Gil Hibben: Hibben Knives website

Kit Rae Cutlery: Official Kit Rae site

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Con Nooga 2009: February 20-22, 2009

February 13, 2009

Con Nooga – The Multi Fandom Convention

One probably wouldn’t expect to be able to brush up on his (or her) bellydancing skills at this sort of convention but this year at Con Nooga you can! Not only can you learn how to belly dance at Chattanooga, Tennessee’s first and only true Multi-Fandom Convention, but you can also attend a workshop on Essential Oils (something everyone should know about in my opinion) as well as Guidelines for Getting Published, Shibari for Beginners, Creating Comics for Adults, or Costuming on a Budget and then some from the workshops offered throughout the weekend. There is even a workshop called Stargate Fans Unite and a Harry Potter: Hogwarts and More one for the J.K. Rowling fan in you.

Programming for kids includes Kid’s Origami, Disney Trivia, Learn Magic, and much more!

For our Anime buffs in Tennessee, attend Intro to Cosplay and Costumes with Con Vixens and Yaya Han, Sushi Making, the Monster Ball and even an 18+ Rave and party all night!

And alas, the screenings. Some films one may see are Dead Moon Rising, Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, Invader Zim, and more. Also up for your brain’s stimulation are a Star Wars vs. Star Trek Debate or Dan and Rob’s Freak-Out Exhibit of Blood-Curdling, Unimaginable Horror and Death Defying Nightmare of Extreme Chills and Screams of Doom Double Feature-A-Thon-O-Rama!

Special Guests include: ROBOTECH.com’s Kevin McKeever, musician Samantha Newark, bands Radio Cult and Hazmat, Dianne Helm of Helm Publishing, and artists Billy Tackett and Sean Taylor.

If this preview isn’t enough of a taste of what you will be served, go to the Con Nooga site for more programming details, hotel info, and more!

Con Nooga 2009
February 20-22, 2009
Historical Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and Convention Center
Chattanooga, TN

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Arizona Renaissance Festival 2009

February 11, 2009

The Annual Arizona Renaissance Festival & Artisian Marketplace

To all you Arizonians who fancy the renaissance era, prepare thyselves for this year’s Arizona Renaissance Festival! With its five festivals rolled into one, there is absolutely no excuse to not be able to attend! Ranging from February 7th to March 29th on every Saturday and Sunday (and President’s Day Monday), each man (woman and child) now has an excuse to get away from his strife and go back to a time when a renewal of life, vigor, and revival of artistic and intellectual achievement was about.

Of the time of King Henry’s reign, the only instruction was to be delightful and celebrate which is acted upon at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. From the Twelve Stages of Continuous Live Entertainment, A Medieval Arts & Crafts Fair, to An Outdoor Circus and a Jousting Tournament with Three Performances Each Day, there will be plenty of interaction to take part in. Not to mention you can stuff your belly full of Renaissance cookery (perhaps stews, pies, roasts, tarts, and soups) during the Day Long Feast! (You shall worry not, the cooking might be similar to that of the Renaissance Era with spices and preparation method, but there won’t be any dangerous ingredients as were used back then.)

Mark your calendars, put on your garb (some suggestions for you modern day folk would be comfortable, natural leather shoes, sandals, or boots, leather vests, natural colored, flowy blouse shirts or dresses, etc.), and prepare yourself for a day (or days) full of things to see and people to meet.

See the official website for more info about the faire, including directions, details about the marketplace as well as exciting Games & Rides!

Arizona Renaissance Festival & Artisian Marketplace
February 7 - March 29, 2009
Saturday, Sunday, & Presidents’ Day Monday
10 AM - 6 PM
Located 7 Miles East of Apache Junction on US Highway 60

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