Family of local Vietnam war veteran sells his wooden swords and staffs

POCATELLO — Many group stepping done a caller adjacent stumbled crossed 1 vendor that was trading imagination style woody weapons.

This booth was occupied by Lauren Egbert and her husband, Jordan Egbert, astatine nan Mystic Realms Fantasy Fair connected Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They were trading woody swords and staffs that were handcrafted by Lauren’s father, Monty Eliassen, a Vietnam warfare seasoned who served successful nan Navy.

“He will walk six hours connected his feet successful nan garage, year-round. It doesn’t matter really acold it is extracurricular aliases really basking … because it keeps him engaged and he believes that if he stays busy, he will enactment young,” Lauren said.

In 2013, Monty retired from a profession astatine an airdrome successful California. That very aforesaid year, he took up nan believe of woodworking, conscionable for illustration his begetter had done erstwhile he was increasing up. His begetter would make “quirky” items arsenic good arsenic family items, for illustration napkins and insubstantial towel holders, and his mother would overgarment them.

But Monty brought his ain individual interests to nan work. While his begetter was a instrumentality of escapade stories from nan Old West, Monty loved and still loves imagination escapade stories.

While Lauren and her sister were increasing up, Monty brought them up connected stories for illustration nan Dragonlance novels, Dragonriders of Pern and The Lord of nan Rings.

“My dada has always, ever been a imagination lover. It was our bedtime stories. That’s conscionable who he is,” Lauren said.

Some of Monty’s swords. | Logan Ramsey, EastIdahoNews.com

And Monty wanted to enactment engaged aft retirement, truthful he began crafting woody swords and staffs. It primitively started arsenic gifts for nan grandchildren, until he yet had capable to waste them online done an Etsy shop.

While he was moving this online shop, he noticed nan area he had lived successful astir of his big life changing. They lived successful agrarian California, successful nan precocious godforsaken wherever they had horses and did rodeo. The area saw a roar successful growth, and nan surrounding farms started to move into neighborhoods and portion malls, truthful he and Lauren decided it was clip to move successful 2015.

They took a representation and drew a statement connected each of nan highways, mapping really acold 12 hours would beryllium from nan remainder of their family, not wanting to spell farther than that. At 1 point, they recovered Pocatello connected nan map, reminding Lauren of nan group she had met that were from nan Gate City and loved it.

“So we drove up present 1 time conscionable to cheque it out, and earlier we near nan adjacent time we bought a location together,” Lauren said.

Eventually, Monty started to find it excessively difficult to support up pinch moving nan Etsy shop. He besides wanted to support his prices low, but nan fees of trading online were excessively high.

“It conscionable wasn’t worthy it to support it up anymore,” Lauren said.

Some of Monty’s staffs. | Logan Ramsey, EastIdahoNews.com

Despite this, Monty still keeps to a rigorous schedule and continues to woodwork.

“It’s not really a business — it’s his livelihood,” Lauren said.

While not moving a business actively, Monty does capable orders for a assortment of clients erstwhile he’s capable to. One of them precocious was Blazing Frame, which bought a number of his canes for fractal burning, which creates lightning patterns connected nan wood.

Monty still has an Instagram account, Dragon Hunt Armoury. People tin still petition commissions from him, which he tin do if he has nan time.

People will besides beryllium capable to find Lauren and Jordan astatine nan Shady Grove Music Camp from July 19 to July 21 trading Monty’s swords and staffs.

For Lauren, she sees trading her fathers activity arsenic a measurement to return portion successful keeping nan family’s contented of woodworking alive. When she saw her begetter prime up nan practice, astatine first she thought, “Maybe he conscionable didn’t cognize what other to do.”

“But it turns retired it’s decidedly a family skill,” Lauren said.