We Live and Breathe Letterboxing - Patches (Events and Gatherings)

History - The Traveling Exhibit of Letterboxing Patches

Events and Gatherings:

As letterboxing becomes more popular, and attendance at letterboxing events grows, a trend is developing to memorialize special gatherings with commemorative patches. However, this portion of our exhibit is desperately in need of help from the letterboxing community.

We know there are a few event patches missing from this collection. We've seen them sported on people's gear and have, in some cases, found that folks are already beginning to forget exactly what each patch celebrates and who produced it. This is an alarming sign that we may already be starting to lose sight of our recent past!

If you can, we ask that you please help us to preserve the history of our hobby before it's too late. All donations will be acknowledged, making the donors' names a permanent part of the history of letterboxing. Even if you just have information about a patch that is missing from this collection, but don't have a sample to donate, please contact us at Mail@WeLiveAndBreathe.com.

Sorry,
no patch
example
at this time.

Spring Is HERE!

The first Hudson Valley letterboxing gathering took place on Saturday, May 14, 2005 at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, New York. The park overlooks the beautiful Hudson River and features 301 acres with over three miles of well maintained trails. The theme was a celebration of what spring means to you, and there was a pot luck with hamburgers and hotdogs provided. Talking Turtle designed the patch, and also organized the event along with Elizabeth (of Rabbit's Friends and Relations) and Tamsyn. We're hoping to receive a sample patch for the exhibit in the near future.

Stargazers Consortium

This "mystery gathering" was held "five days after the first new moon in the sign of the crab"at Maryhill State Park in Klickitat County, Washington, on the weekend of June 30 - July 2, 2006. Highlights of the event included stargazing with telescope and binoculars, and letterboxing near a full-scale model of Stonehenge and at Goldendale Observatory. This patch is actually a Girl Scouts Astronomy merit badge, but it was adopted as an unofficial event patch for the gathering.

Patch donated by: Amanda from Seattle

A Pirate from Every Port

Ahoy there, ye scallywags and sea wenches! In honor of national Talk Like a Pirate day, Kreepy Cap'n Kelli commandeered the preceding weekend in 2006 and declared it as "a day of pillaging, grog and feasting!" Bluff Point State Park in Groton, Connecticut, is a wooded peninsula that juts out into the waters of the Long Island Sound. On September 16, 2006, it was the location of a hugely popular letterboxing gathering known as "A Pirate from Every Port." Pirate garb, reverse pickpocketry, and potluck gluttony were all encouraged. This patch, created by Kreepy Kelli, was among the booty to be had. Due to high attendance, there were no leftover patches for Kelli to donate to this exhibit, but when the Lazy Letterboxer saw our exhibit at the "Back to Our Roots" event and realized this patch was not represented, she actually borrowed some scissors and removed it from the shirt she was wearing so she could donate it to the collection!

Patch donated by: Lazy Letterboxer

Wonders of the World

This gathering was held in upstate New York at John Boyd Thacher State Park, near Albany, on October 8, 2006. The park features over 12 miles of trails and a marvelous panorama of the Hudson-Mohawk Valleys and the Adirondack and Green Mountains. The event was hosted by phynstar, Buggylou, Minpin Lovers, Sahalie, Daytonatip, and Tamsyn. This particular example of the patch shows some minor wear due to the fact that it adorned the backback of Liz, of Penguin Patrol, for several years. She had received it as a gift for donating a stamp to the event. However, when she noticed that it was not represented in this exhibit, she removed it from her pack and sent it to us! Thanks, Liz!

Patch donated by: Penguin Patrol

Cocktail Club

This patch was first made available to letterboxers by MaineKokopellian at the Frightnight II pre-gathering (a.k.a. Mrs. Cleaver's Cocktail Party) on October 20, 2006. Although it appears to be a stock patch design, it was certainly an appropriate souvenir for this 1950's themed open bar mini-meet, and has been suggested for use at other small gatherings that feature adult beverages.

Patch donated by: MaineKokopellian

Frightnight 2

Frightnight 3

Frightnight 4

Frightnight

The Frightnight gatherings have become a Halloween letterboxing tradition! The series began on October 22, 2005, when Oceanwytch, MaineKokopellian and Cooties hosted "Frightnight at the Fort" at Fort McClary State Historic Site near Kittery, Maine. The following year, they held "Frightnight 2: Escape from Mystic Mountain" at York, Maine on October 21, 2006. This was the first FN event to be commemmorated with a special patch. MaineKokopellian kept the tradition alive by following up with "Frightnight 3 : Ghoultown Gaming Club" on October 27, 2007, which was held in Gorham, Maine. Gorham was also the location for "Frightnight 4: A Timeless Halloween Ball at Moloch Manor" which took place on October 25, 2008. The scheduled date for "Frightnight 5: The Frightful Anniversary!" is October 24, 2009.

Patches donated by: MaineKokopellian

Moor Tor-ists

Mark and Sue Pepe organized their first trip to Dartmoor in 2004, along with eleven other letterboxers who became known as the "Baker's Dozen". In September, 2007, a second visit was arranged in which 16 US letterboxers convened in Dartmoor, calling themselves the "Moor Tor-ists". This special patch was commissioned exclusively for members of the group. Lazy Letterboxer says she had one extra patch made, thinking maybe they would present it to one of their hosts in Dartmoor. Instead, she decided to donate it to this exhibit and share it with the letterboxing community! A third Dartmoor excursion is scheduled for 2010.

Patch donated by: Lazy Letterboxer

Fall Is HERE!

The "Fall is HERE!" gathering was the highly anticipated and well-received follow-up to 2005's Hudson Valley event. It took place in New York's Hudson Valley on October 14, 2007, and was once again held at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, New York. It was organized by Elizabeth (of Rabbit's Friends and Relations) and The Doctors B, along with Talking Turtle (who created the event patch). There was a pot luck, raffle, carving class and a special Turkey Egg Hunt for the kids.

Patch donated by: Talking Turtle

Come Fly a Kite!!

This event, hosted by Happydaze and MaineKokopellian, was held on July 21, 2007, near the Portland Head Light lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Activities at the event included a workshop on kite-making by Muddy Paws and a demonstration of kite flying skills by kite-flying instructor/exhibitor Tony Heeschan.

Patch donated by: Eidolon

Box-O'lympics: Winter Games

The Winter Games event was held in New York's Hudson Valley on January 26, 2008. The patch design is based on the event stamp for the gathering, which was created by Todd Poteet of 3 Blind Mice.

Patch donated by: Talking Turtle

Legends, Folklore, & Native History Pow Wow

This was one of the first letterboxing events in the Westchester County area of New York. The event took place on May 10, 2008, at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, and was held outdoors with no shelter on a warm and sunny spring day. After attending the "Fall Is HERE!" event and meeting Rabbit's Relations and Talking Turtle, Suzietoots and Luna say they were inspired to organize this gathering in their area. It was their first experience at hosting a letterboxing event. Suzietoots designed the event patch.

Patch donated by: Suzietoots

Letterboxing Cruise 2008

This cruise took place from June 22 to June 29, 2008, going from New York City to King's Wharf, Bermuda, aboard the Norwegian Dawn. It was arranged by Mark and Sue Pepe, and attended by 37 lucky passengers. The event patch was designed by True Indigo and RGBisME of the Crayola Posse.

Patch donated by: Mark and Sue Pepe

Thomas Point Beach

This patch is from the "Letterboxing in Historic Mid-Coast Maine" gathering, which took place at Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick, Maine, on August 1-3, 2008. The design is based on the event stamp for the gathering, which was created by SHH of Puyallup, Washington.

Patch donated by: Teacup and mudflingingfools (a.k.a. "Team Mud Cup")

We Live and Breathe Letterboxing

This event took place on September 12-14, 2008, in celebration of 10 years of American Letterboxing. It was held at Camp Adams near Molalla, Oregon and was attended by over 200 letterboxers from 27 states and provinces. There were many miles of trails, and some very tricky clues to the 100+ letterboxes planted for the event. Activities included cabin camping, a Welcome barbeque, a campfire sing-along, four nightboxing trails, a masquerade ball, and a Dartmoor-style letterboxing area.

Patch donated by: The "We Live and Breathe Letterboxing" Planning Committee

CFLLB Camp Out

This patch debuted at the 2nd annual Central Florida Letterboxing Camp Out, which was held on October 10-12, 2008, at Alexander Springs in the Ocala National Forest. It features an image of the regional mascot, Skippy the squirrel, being mistaken for a bear. The patch came with a bar indicating the year, and a 2007 bar was available for campers who attended the previous year's event at Hontoon Island. Additional year bars are expected to be available at future Camp Outs.

Bed & Boxing

The Bed & Boxing event took place the weekend of November 14-16, 2008, and was organized by Mark and Sue Pepe. Attendees chose from one of three beautiful inns located in the picturesque Jackson, NH area, and were treated to a Friday night Welcome Buffet and lots of letterboxing fun! The event patch was designed by the Crayola Posse.

Patch donated by: Mark and Sue Pepe

Back to Our Roots

This "old fashioned gathering" was held on June 20, 2009, at the Matterhorn Inn of West Dover, Vermont. Hosted by Mark and Sue Pepe, it celebrated the important role Vermont played in the early days of American letterboxing and was an homage to the first letterboxing gathering that took place in nearby Killington, VT in 1999. Held in the Vermont foothills in the shadow of Mount Snow, the "Back to Our Roots" gathering featured over 50 new letterboxes, several surprise guests, a catered BBQ picnic and a bonfire to cap off the day. The Traveling Exhibit of Letterboxing Patches was on display at this gathering—its first appearance since Live & Breathe.

Patch donated by: Mark and Sue Pepe

Summer Is HERE!

The "Summer Is Here!" gathering took place from July 31 to August 2, 2009, in continuation of what had become a bi-annual Hudson Valley event celebrating the seasons. It was held at Wilcox Park in Stanfordville, New York, which features camping, boating, fishing, swimming, miniature golf and seven miles of trails. The event was once again organized by Elizabeth (of Rabbit's Friends and Relations) and Talking Turtle (who also designed the event patch). Event activities included a pot luck, a raffle, a 20 letterbox event series, a weekend camp-over and nightboxing.

Patch donated by: Talking Turtle

LB CON 2009

LB CON 2009 took place on the weekend of July 17-19, 2009, at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. It was the first event of its kind, and featured letterboxing-relevant lectures and instructional demonstrations, several vendors from within the letterboxing community with cool merchandise for sale, and a live online video feed provided by the Letterpod. Other activities included a pajama party on the night before, lots of letterboxing opportunities, several tours in the St Louis area, and a spooky nightboxing adventure.

Patch donated by: The LB CON 2009 Convention Committee

Missing LB CON Pity Party

This patch is believed to hold the distinction of being the first produced for a "virtual" online event. It was announced by Nitrocat (of Newark, Illinois) as being for all of those folks who could not make it to St. Louis to attend LB CON. She also added, "if you are going to the convention, then you are not allowed!" With nearly 250 signups, it was, sadly, attended by several members of the actual LB CON planning committee who were unable to make it to their own event.

Patch donated by: Nitrocat

Bed & Boxing Redux

Back by popular demand, the second Bed & Boxing event took place the weekend of October 30 through November 1, 2009. Once again, it was organized by Mark and Sue Pepe and took place in the haunted mountains near the beautiful Whitney's Inn of Jackson, New Hampshire. Attendees enjoyed a Halloween costumed Friday night buffet and night boxing on Saturday after dinner! The event patch was designed by Crayola Posse.

Patch donated by: Mark and Sue Pepe

NOTE: All patches are represented at the same scale for comparison purposes. However, images
have been reduced in size to help eliminate the possibility of counterfeit reproductions.