In the land that would become the United States of America, Thanksgiving has been celebrated in one form or another, on and off since 1621. It became an official holiday when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,” to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November. Americans have celebrated it ever since.

The meaning behind Thanksgiving is different for each of us. This makes sense as we are all different. It doesn’t matter if you gathered together today for unity, to teach the young about your heritage, to reflect on the abundance of gifts that fill your life, or to praise God Virginia and I hope that you found what you were looking for.

We wish you and yours a warm and heartfelt holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

While I do not always succeed, I do try to give everyone as much notice as possible when the shop schedule will deviate from our standard 4:30 PM to 7 PM Monday through Friday for walk-ins and others by appointment schedule. With the holidays & winter on the horizon, there are always events that interfere with the normal course of business.

As of right now, the shop will be open normal hours for the rest of the year, except on the following dates:

• • • 2 Nov 2017, shop closed, Ducks Unlimited Dinner
    • 4 Nov 2017, 2017 RRPC Fall Swap Meet, there is no effect on shop hours (see RRPC Calendar ⇒ for details)
    • 22, 23, 24 Nov 2017, shop closed, Thanksgiving vacation
    • 9 Dec 2017, shop hours not affected, RRPC Christmas Party 6p-10p (see RRPC Calendar ⇒ for details)
    • 22, 25, 26, 27 Dec 2017, shop closed, Christmas vacation & counter construction
    • 1 Jan 2018, shop closed, New Year’s Day

As winter will bring the inevitable snowy weather with it, we will update the blog with shop closures due to snow. With the new pavement in its first year, we are going to be gentle with the plow.

The easiest way to stay up to date on all of the things going on at the shop is to sign up to receive notification of the blog posts via email. You can sign up in the lower left corner of every page on the website.

We have donated some gift certificates to and will be handling the gun transfers ($2 transfer fee¹) for the local Ducks Unlimited dinner this year. As such, THE SHOP WILL BE CLOSED ON THURSDAY, 2 NOV 2017 so Virginia and I can attend the event.

Jefferson’s Country Dinner ⇒ will be held on 2 Nov 2017 at King Family Vineyard in Crozet, Virginia from 6 PM – 10 PM (doors open at 5:50 PM). For more information or to buy tickets follow the link.

If you are not familiar with this worthwhile cause, Ducks Unlimited ⇒ is the world’s leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation. It got its start in 1937 when the drought of America’s dust bowl plagued the waterfowl populations, plunging them to unprecedented lows. Determined not to sit idly by as the waterfowl dwindled beyond recovery, a small group of sportsmen joined together to take action. Their mission was, and still is habitat conservation

Footnotes:

1. 1. 1. For the guns won/awarded at the 2017 Jefferson’s Country Dinner, the transfer fee will be $2 per gun for Virginia residents. Non-Virginia residents will be charged the same amount that the Virginia State Police charge Classic American Gunsmith for the background check. Additional guns transferred at the same time/on the same form will be charged at the normal rate.

The shop will be closed next Thursday & Friday, 21-22 Sep 2017. Sorry about any inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding.

We, at Classic American Gunsmith, wish you all the best as you take time out to honor all the hard working American men and woman out there.

We are closed Monday, 4 Sep 2017. We resume normal hours on Tuesday, 5 Sep 2017 4:30 PM to 7 PM. This will be the first time the new drive way is open to all customers.

Hopefully, all of you will find the time and a break in the rain to have the chance to make it to the range this weekend.