Thursday, April 19, 2012
Through hell and high water
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Staff and volunteers help put up a banner proclaiming the Academy’s return home and grand re-opening.
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The folks over at The Bucks County Academy of Fencing have literally been through hell and high water.
Late last August, flood waters brought on by Hurricane Irene smashed through the front wall of their Lambertville, New Jersey home and flooded the entire 10,000 square foot complex with three feet of mud and water before a back wall finally gave way and let the water out.
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| The blown-out front wall of the building which runs over Coryell Creek. This stream runs down from a mountain across the street of the academy |
The damage to the academy was quite extensive with all the wood floors ripped up and many of the building’s contents washed out into the Delaware and Raritan Canal which runs behind the old Laceworks mill building the fencing academy occupies.
It was the third time in a handful of years that floods along the Delaware River had threated to put them out of business. But after eight months of looking for a new location, battling with their insurance company, reconstruction and having to run their operation from a temporary space in a church school basement, The Bucks County Academy of Fencing is back home.
"We're so happy to be back in our 'home' space,” said Mark Holbrow, BCAF’s founder and head fencing master. “It's uniquely suited for a fencing club, and gives the BCAF some of its special character. What surprised me was how anxious our KIDS were to get back. They really love it!"
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| Volunteers put the finishing touches on Mary Bryson’s fencers in silhouette mural along the academy’s far walls. |
I finally got a chance to fence in the “new/old” space last night and can confirm it was good to be back, though it was a little disconcerting. It was like coming back to the family home after being away at college only to find your parents have rearranged all the furniture!
But in this case all the changes are for the better. Mark and his staff have vastly improved the dressing/changing area and even have added a shower. And now instead of just a soda machine in a corner they have made a kitchenette or wet bar area with sink and a nice cabinet. There is still a lot more work to be done, but I look forward to all those improvements.
Fencing is certainly fun and while I’ll never be able swashbuckle with the likes of D'Artagnan, Zorro or Inigo Montoya, it is nice to have such a fine facility with such excellent instructors to train in.
If you’ve never tried your hand at fencing, you should. It’s almost a sport custom made for us geeks. If you live in the Mercer or Hunterdon county area of New Jersey or the Bucks or Montgomery county areas of Pennsylvania, BCAF offers a “Taste Of Fencing” class several times throughout the year. These three, one-hour, once-a-week classes allow you to try fencing out without making a long term commitment or costly investment in equipment. To sign up, contact Lisa Martini or the academy at Bucks County Academy of Fencing, 287 South Main Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530-1830, 215-862-6112.
If you live elsewhere in the United States, you can find a club here.
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