Rochester Woodcarvers

Rochester, MN
Rochester Woodcarvers
April 2007 - May 2007 Newsletter
Meetings: 9am - 11am on the 3rd Saturday of each month (Sept - May)
Redeemer Lutheran Church, 9th Street and 7th Avenue SE, Rochester, MN

Notes from our President:
We recently finished our 2006 - 2007 club season, and one member mentioned it is similar to the ending of a school year; but our new "school year" will begin with the September meeting. It was a fun year for me as the meeting attendance was excellent, the programs had a great variety, Show & Tell projects filled the display table each month, the Festival of Trees again had a fantastic tree with a record number of ornaments, and the 31st annual March carving show turned out well! Plus, the weather seemed to cooperate for our club activities.

Your new club President, Randy Kinnick has been an active board member & very involved with the carving show the last 2 years, so he's well prepared for leading the club. Nick Poleschuk, a board member & a fantastic egg carver, will take over the Secretary position. Ron Bymers (club president 1995-97) will be the club treasure. Bob Nowicki, Gary Berg & Laurie Reed will continue as board members. Your club will be in good hands with these folks, so please give them your continued support and pass on ideas for meeting programs as you have done the last couple of years.

Thanks to Chuck & Bev Stupca for being the club treasure the last 6 years. At least one of them were there even when the Gophers had Saturday games or with Chuck's busy travel schedule. Jennifer Schroeder has been so helpful getting the board & meeting notes for newsletters. Dwayne Schacht & Nancy Borson have been coming early for each meeting getting the coffee & donuts ready, helping set up & clean up after the meeting so their help was much appreciated. Tom Severson is a vital part of the club publicity efforts, with our excellent web site plus his efforts to get the word out to many publications and newspapers to announce the carving show. Publications have early deadlines so it takes good planning to fit their schedules and Tom really does this. John Gordon handled the newspaper & club announcements whenever requested & his new computer should make this task easier this coming year. David Ridge will once again keep track of the library books & magazines.

Be sure to take in the Olmsted County Fair, July 30 - Aug 5, as the club will once again have a display booth and this is another good way to promote carving to the public. Lyle Bacon will once again coordinate the fair project, so let's fill up the display cases once again & take a few hours to do some carving at the booth as people seem to enjoy watching something being carved and ask many questions.

The club has lost some excellent carvers this past year, so keep promoting the art of carving to new people. We especially need to get the younger generation interested in carving -- as a fellow carver mentioned to me recently.

Even though fuel prices continue to increase, many of you will likely take in some event this summer related to carving. Keep the knives & tools sharp, the skin safe, the wood chips flying and bring those new projects to Show & Tell this fall and make lots of new ornaments for the Festival of Trees.

Since this is my last newsletter as Club President, I would like to thank all of you for your help the last couple of years in making it an enjoyable experience. The old saying "many hands make the work go easier" certainly applies to our woodcarving club (as with any volunteer organization) to accomplish the various tasks that need to get done.

Wayne

Oh, Christmas Tree! Oh, Christmas Tree!!
Important news from the tree committee:
Thanks for all of your help with the festival of trees. It is such a great cause and much appreciated by all that it affects. The theme for our 2007 tree is "Seasons on the Farm." Each "side" of the tree will represent a season of life on the farm.

We need many ornaments and some folks to step up and do a little something for the base of the tree. Some people are needed for the Spring side of the tree. Ideas: kids swimming in the cattle trough, tree swing, planting with tractor or horses. We are planning on the barn being 2 & 1/2 feet high, so if the carvings for the base could be scaled according to the size of the barn.

Other ideas: any animal on the farm, cows, chickens, pigs, horses, sheep, goats, etc. Anything that goes with the family farm: wagon wheels, tack, apple pie, eggs in an egg basket. Apples in a basket, clothes hanging on the line, gardens, wood pile stacked next to a shed or barn. Just lots of things any of us can think of.

Be creative! The sky is the limit. Take a walk down memory lane and think of something I have not mentioned. There are just so many ideas with this theme. This is the kind of theme we need. So everyone can carve something they may remember from growing up around the farm. Have a happy and safe carving summer.
Laurie Reed

Show & Tell:
Some of our best inspirations came form seeing what others can do and have done with their knives and gouges. It's always fun to see the show & Tell table at each meeting. Please don't be afraid to bring your latest work to show us. That's what makes our club so much fun and so inspirational.

Here's the list of nice Show & Tell items from our April & May meetings:
April:
  • Steve Murray - Mermaid relief carving
  • Lori Murray - Woodburning: Welcome to Our Home, Portrait with dots, Bag
  • Gary Berg - Vikings 1st Round Pick
  • Nick Poleschuk - Egg carved with a Nativity with gilding
  • Paul Glowacki - Spirit Stick
  • Kathy Ward - Curse of the Red Baron
  • Mick and Alice Snyder - 3 Mushroom Puzzles
  • John Alman - Man on Mule with White Lightning, Tree, Cowboy and cowgirl, 3 Men
  • Howie Wilson - Duck Decoy - drake
May:
  • Gary Berg - Spirit Stick, Bark Carving with Man and Lighthouse
  • Randy Kinnick - Name Sign for Desk
  • Bob Nowicki - US Marine Corps League Sign
  • Wayne Hendrickson - 2 Bears, 15 Snowman Ornaments
  • Nancy Borson - Little Person to hide for the grandchildren
  • Mike Snyder - Portobello Mushroom Puzzle, Demo Tool used to make Mushroom Puzzle, Egg Puzzle
  • Ferris Chladek - Casino Lady
  • Trent Busch - Rocking Horse
County Fair
Please put this year's county fair on your calendar and help make it a good show for us. It's July 30 - August 5. We have a nice display case so you can put one of your good pieces up for show safely. Please consider doing that this year. And we always need some demo masters, who would love to go out to the booth and sit and carve awhile. It always generates lots of interest form folks who want know how a carver does what she/he does - and maybe becomes a member and a carver too!

IN MEMORIAM: Luverne (Chris) Christianson
Chris was one of the best when it came to chip carving. He had to miss the carving show but he was at our meeting in March. He carved a box for the show raffle this year, so shared his talents with us again.

From his obituary: "….. Mr. Christianson, 75, a longtime math teacher in Rochester, died Wednesday (April 25, 2007) following a three-year illness with multiple myeloma. Luverne Ardell Christianson was born Aug. 25, 1931, in Spring Grove. He grew up in Mabel. On Dec. 26, 1953, he married Lois Blexrud. He graduated from Winona State University……."