Everyone should arrive about 4:00 so we can get the meats cooked in time to sit down to eat at 5:00. A whole hour should be enough for us all to fry our burgers, steaks, hot dogs, or whatever.

The Club supplies soft drinks, water, charcoal, and grills for cooking. You should bring a dish to pass, your own meat to cook, your table settings, and your spouse..

If you’re wondering what kind of a dish you might bring, call Tony or Bob Hallstrom. There was a sign-up sheet passed around for people to choose what they wanted to bring.

The home page is in Swedish, but if you click on the tiny British flag up in the right hand corner of the screen, you will get the site in English.

There is a very detailed history of how horses came to be used in Scandinavia. Horses were even worshiped by some folks, and the little wooden ones were religious symbols. Wow! Great history. It’s waaaay too long to print here, but it makes fascinating reading.

CORRECTION: The two nice little carvings ascribed to John Skaggs in the last Newsletter were NOT done by John. I guess this is not truly a "correction" as much as a notice of bad data. This Newsletter is like a computer ... feed it good data. But - "garbage in, garbage out." If the artist who produced these carvings will come forward and make him/herself known, we can reprint the pictures and give credit where credit is due.

Virginia Lucas visited May 20. Several of the Members had a chance to enjoy a visit with her. Let’s hope she will join Blackhawk Woodcarvers.

Blackhawk Woodcarvers 15^th ANNIVERSARY SHOW & COMPETITION - Is on August 15, at the Tebala Shrine Center, 7910 Newburg Road, 61108, Rockford, IL. Show hours are from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

You have three things to plan for. (1)What will you have on your display table? Table cloth - round or rectangular? (Ask about table sizes.) Will you have some work-in-progress to show how carvings go? How about items for sale? (2)Have you decided on what you will enter in the juried competition? And (3)What will you contribute to the raffle?

Club membership is required. If one is not a full-fledged active member, one may pay $12 (US) for an interim membership which permits participation in the Show. Once membership privileges are obtained, there is a $10 (US) fee for one entry in the competition. Each additional competition entry costs an additional $2 (US).

Membership and your first entry into the competition entitles you to a 6' round table in the exhibition area. These tables are for showing and telling and selling your wood sculptures. Additional tables are available for a slight additional fee. Some folks choose to do actual carving at their table ... it whiles away time, and demonstrates the ancient art of reductive sculpture in wood.

Besides all the activities for carvers, there is a raffle program going on regularly throughout show hours. This helps the Club raise money to pay Show expenses and support our other activities.

Personal to Don Stansfield - "Is it ethical to enter into the competition a piece done in a commercial carving class? Even though you may have done it all yourself?"

"Four-inch Spherical Carving Challenge." Entries will be judged at our Annual Carving Show, August 15, 2009, at the Tebala Shrine Center. Rules are simple. (1)Carving must be an original design, (2)Carving must be from a 4" sphere of wood, (3)Final outer shape must reflect original form of the 4" sphere, and (4)Finish must be natural appearance from an oil or poly-finish. No paint allowed.

Ribbons and cash awards will be given for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Place. The cash prizes will be $50, $30, and $20, respectively. Get a head start on making a sphere, roughouts are available from Don Stansfield for $9 each.

Welcome Home Snowbirds ! Wes & Judy Englund came first, then Ray Olson; and finally Ted Faber, Bob Matthews, and Lois & Paul Bachelor. It’s really good to have you back! Be sure to get around to meet all the new members who have joined since you went South. You can rest assured that they’re nice folks, because all carvers are nice folks. The salt of the earth.

Wednesday morning coffee is only $0.25 per cup. The cookies are free with coffee. Talk sweetly to the "cook", and she may let you have a cookie without having to drink any coffee. Dona buys the cookies from Hilander. They’re made fresh every Wednesday morning, and they’re mighty tasty. (The coffee is better than average, too.)

The Ten-foot Mystery Bear from last month’s Newsletter was carved by a chain-saw carver from Marengo, Illinois. His name is not known to us at this time, but we could probably find out if you’re really curious. Correct location of the bear is in the alley behind 500 block of Robert Avenue.

Ray Olson will be teaching a special class on carving a Wizard on two consecutive Wednesdays - June 3 and June 10, at the regular carving session. Blanks will be furnished. Cost is $5 (US). This will go into the Club treasury.

"I’m writing a health book. I don’t know whether to call it ’Kissing My Hemorrhoids Good-Bye’ or ‘Pumping Rust.’."

MAY BUSINESS MEETING

Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Gary Lundquist, Secretary

Secretary’s Report - Read, and approved as read.

Treasurer’s Report -Read, and approved as read.

Membership Report - Dona Wisner reported

Newsletter Report - Due to personal reasons, your Newsletter Editor wants to retire, and is looking for a replacement Editor.

President Bob Hallstrom reported

VP Don Stansfield passed Carving Show information packets around to everyone at the meeting. These included just about everything you might want to know about the show.

As most of you are aware, the Blackhawk Carving Club Show & Competition is a pretty classy affair. For one thing, the competition is a juried function, We hire professional talent to do the judging. Work is graded by a professional in woodcarving. (Not to worry, there is also a "Peoples Choice" award given. Second, but not the least, we pay out no less than eleven cash awards to the winners of the different categories..

Library Report: Bernie Budzynski has pulled out and is offering for free the back issues of Chip Chats, Woodcarving Illustrated, Carving magazine, and other carving and woodworking magazines. This is the result of "housecleaning in the Library Cabinet.

Bob Hallstrom is asking whomever borrowed his VHS on woodburning to please bring it back.

Roger Benedict has the bark from the Macktown cottonwood tree. The pieces are about 10" to 12" wide by about 4 feet long, and two to three inches thick. You want some bark to carve, call Roger before he gives all away.

Roger brought in the Club’s community carving kit. This includes carving tools, protective gloves, thumb protectors, and some blanks.

Blackhawk Carving Club insignia is available: Patches to sew on a jacket and decals for inside your car windows. Patches are $5 (US), but the decals are FREE.

Work on the Club Directory is proceeding. The original scheme was a bit too ambitious, so Lisa and Tod are modifying it a little to make the whole job more manageable.

John Winter donated his "Flashing Lights" cane and a what-not shelf with carved chain links support for the Club Raffle.

Tod Wisner reported a suggestion from one of our members that we make it a Club project for every member to carve a Swedish Dala horse for the Club Raffle at the Show. These little toys are amazingly simple to do ... the Swedes need only about 15 minutes to carve a horse from a roughout. While the painting takes a bit longer, it’s still neither complicated nor difficult.

Ted Faber reported an attempt by management to start a woodcarving group at Wesley Willows. Only two prospects showed up, and one of them because he had taken a CLR course under Roger Benedict. Unless more interest is shown, this probably won’t fly.

Boy Scouts of America have once more put out a call for help to get a couple of woodcarvers who might be interested in coaching and testing Scouts for the BSA Woodcarving Merit Badge. Gary Lundquist is fielding these calls. Get with him to "Do Your Good Turn." Maybe the Scouts could use the Club tools and supplies.

MEETING ADJOURNED AT 0945

SICK BAY REPORT

Don Stansfield sent Jayne a"Healing Kit" consisting of duct tape, baling wire, nails, screws, bolts and nuts

Tom Backer has been successful in his recovery, but now his wife, Rochelle, is not in such good shape. She has been transferred to a hospital in Madison, WI. Tom expects she may have to stay there for quite some time. Maybe months.

Tom was at the carving Club business meeting, May, 20, after having been out for the last few weeks. It was good to see him again.

Walt Gipe has had some serious health problems, but is now recuperating satisfactorily.

Jack Lichtenheld, not currently an active member, but a long-time friend went in for surgery May 20. He has had real troubles with one leg. We wish him well.