Long known as the epicenter of early American knife manufacturing, Little Valley, N.Y. — “The Village of Knives” — will celebrate its past with a knife show in July that organizers say will be among the largest in the nation.
W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. of Bradford, which has direct lineage to Little Valley, is a co-sponsor of the event set for July 12-14 at the Cattaraugus County (N.Y.) Fairgrounds. Among the activities will be educational and hands-on demonstrations led by History channel’s “Forged in Fire” champion Walter Baranowski — a Western New York native — and a few of his fellow contestants.
“Having grown up in nearby Springville, where Case and Robinson Knife had factories, I was always amazed how few people knew of the legendary knife companies in our region,” Baranowski said. “When I won ‘Forged in Fire’ and heard that Little Valley was planning an event, I said, ‘Heck, yes!’ I’m bringing my pals to make sparks fly.”
Local, regional and international vendors are welcome to display, as the foremost knife dealers and collectors will be coming to Little Valley to educate, appraise, buy and sell.
Proceeds from the event will go directly to benefit Little Valley, including its library and beautification efforts. Along with tours and rare knives for sale, the weekend will include a raffle and auction.
“One century ago there were more knife makers in Little Valley than anywhere in the world,” explained John Burrell, a Case family descendant and former owner of Burrell Cutlery, which spun off from Kinfolks Cutlery in Little Valley before World War II. “This small town in Western New York holds a significant place in American history, with many of the knives made here highly collectible today.
“The assorted Case families have five generations in the business, making us among the oldest and largest in the industry,” he added.
Ka-Bar in Olean, N.Y. is also among the knife manufacturers that trace roots to the Little Valley legacy.
Along with Case, Ellicottville Brewing Company, Hughes Hotel, Knife Magazine, the American Museum of Cutlery and Holiday Valley are sponsoring the event. W.R. Case & Sons started in Little Valley and carries on the famous family name in Bradford.
“Case is proud to be a sponsor of the Village of Knives Celebration,” said Brent Tyler, associate vice president of marketing, Case and Zippo Outdoor Products. “The town of Little Valley is important to us, because it’s where the Case name first took root and gave rise to the Case brand that continues to grow today.
“We hope to see a large turnout of fans in support of the many storied brands that sprang forth from the Case family,” he added, “and we invite all those attending to join our ‘Made in Bradford 2024’ event the following weekend.”
Case and Zippo Manufacturing Co. host their 135th anniversary “Made in Bradford 2024” event July 19-20.
Ellicottville Brewing Company has a plant and restaurant in Little Valley, and will be bottling a special batch for sale at the event in July.
“Knives and beer, what could go wrong?” joked Brad Lockwood, an author and Case descendant. “This celebration is about highly collectible items, local workers, and one town that truly dominated the industry. Case, Ka-Bar, Platts, Cattaraugus Cutlery — just name the brand and it was born in Little Valley.”
In addition to knife dealers and actual forging and grinding demonstrations by “Forged in Fire” champions, the event will also be educational, with an interactive timeline museum display of how and when the industry started, the players and their products.
Vendors of all products and services are encouraged to book tables to display, with music, food and beverages available onsite at the fairgrounds. The night of July 13 (a Saturday), will offer a VIP banquet at the American Legion Post 531, which was the former home of Sarah and Andrew Jackson Case.
Attendance for the general public will be free, with the entire fairgrounds devoted to the event. In addition to dozens of knife vendors, dealers and collectors, local and regional vendors of handmade products, artwork and keepsakes are welcome to book tables to display and sell.
For vendor table reservations, lodging and other information, visit www.VillageofKnives.com.
