Every year at the Primitive Arts Festival, the Buddy Page- Rick Wiles Knapping Contest is held. The contest is held in honor of Buddy Page a pioneer diver in Florida’s Rivers who discovered many submerged cultural sites including the Page Lodson site on the Aucilla River.

The contest is also held in honor of Park Ranger Richard Wiles who was a long time judge in the knapping contest held at the Payne’s Prairie Knap-In. Rick had for many years loved artifacts and Archeology. Rick and Buddy both passed away shortly before the First Ochlockonee River Stone Age and Primitive Arts festival and to honor their memories and contributions, the knapping contest was named after them.

The Projectile Point selected at this contest each year is always a style or type that is found in Florida and must be made from stone material found in Florida or South Georgia. If a Paleo point is selected the material can not be heat treated, if an Archaic or later type is selected heat treated material can be used.

Points must be made from a spall during the event. No sawed slabs can be used. Points are judged on how close they match the selected type as well as workmanship. The first year of the contest a Simpson Point was chosen as the Point type for the contest. The second year The Clovis Point was selected.

Florida Knapper Claude Van Order won the second annual contest with his Clovis Point submission, made from Flint River chert from Albany Georgia. For the third annual contest the Newnan Point was selected. Peat Barr from Okeechobee Florida won with his submission made from heat treated Agatetized coral.

This contest provides a great opportunity to observe some of the best Knappers in the country reproduce locally found projectile points. The judges for this contest are Archeologists from the Florida’s Department of Historical Resources.

Registration for this competition will take place onsite.