NEWS ROUND-UP

MEA CULPA - Carving Show competition - In Bark Carving, our last Newsletter showed Westmorland as winning 1^st and 2^nd, while Larry Christensen was reported as only Third Place. WRONG. Larry actually won the Second Place ribbon. Westmorland got 1^st and 3^rd.

Elaine Terrell’s pine needle basket

Click on picture to enlarge it.

This picture of a finished basket did not make it into the September Newsletter.

Ray Olson’s Santa Claus carving class has been a HUGE success. At least a third of the Wednesday Morning carvers enrolled with Ray. You should see them all around the table - heads bowed over their carvings, some grimacing at a particularly difficult cut. They are making a nice-sized Santa statue ... about 11" high. A lot of good-looking carving coming out of this venture. Ray’s a good teacher!

Larry Clark focuses intently on his Santa Claus carving

                        Don Clark attacks his Santa! Knife ? ...or gouge?

Click on pictures to make them larger.

Annual Club Potluck Picnic was a great success. Tony DeVita performed admirably as our Host. He ordered up a picture-perfect afternoon. Beautiful sun shine. Puffy white clouds. Gentle breeze. Not too warm, and not too cool. Lots of grub and gab!

Janesville Woodcarvers held their annual show at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Janesville on Saturday the 20^th of September. Several of our Club members went up. It was a good show. Nice layout. Lots of friendly talk all around. Especially when they saw our embroidered Blackhawk Woodcarvers Club polo shirts. The shirts identified us as fellow carvers ... and not just curious lookers. A couple of Janesville carvers said "Thanks" for coming to their show.

A very few of the wood carvers were actually carving. Outside of the exhibit hall, the chainsaw carver (Bud Hainzinger, from Morris, Illinois) put on a great demonstration ... he was sawing almost continuously ... except when he was refueling his chainsaws. He had really beautiful pieces for sale. Birds, bears, a bench, and "Welcome" posts you could put at your front door instead of the usual mat.

Besides the usual carvers with display tables, there was a lot of stuff for sale. Ray Olson "filled the trunk of his car" with a huge supply of basswood from "Uncle Al’s." Al was selling whole boxes of basswood pieces for $23. A real bargain! One of the carvers had Santa pins about like our pumpkin pins, and he had them priced at $15. At another table, $15 bought a high-quality English steel curved gouge.

Some of the folks showing and selling were also in our own Show. Unlike our Show, the Janesville Club did not have a judged contest. They did, however, have a Peoples’ Choice contest with a few selected pieces of work competing for ribbons. Much of the work on display around the Show was high caliber competition quality. One of the bird carvers was almost as good as our own Bob Matthews. The feather pins at $15, were a real bargain compared to the Santa pins. But then, how do you price a carving?

Personal to John Bibby - Dona and Tod Wisner were honored with a really nice long conversation with Klaus Zunker from Greenfield, Wisconsin. (Milwaukee area) Mr. Zunker inquired about your health. The last time he saw you was in Branson, and you had to leave because you became quite ill. Also, John, he had hoped you might be participating in the Janesville Show. (Klaus is not the only one who missed you at a Show, John.)

"Who was our first president ?" - Chapter Three in the continuing saga - Monty Spinker sent a very nice letter to President Bob Hallstrom detailing the very first efforts of the Blackhawk Woodcarvers’ Club. A photo copy of his letter is attached to the print version of this Newsletter. You all should know that Rich Andersen, Lloyd Duerst, Dolores Cascio, and Gordy Moscinski were, AND STILL ARE, members of the Club. Also enclosed with Mr. Spinker’s letter to Hallstrom was a copy of the Club Newsletter from July 1994, as well as some Spinker promotional sheets. All this material is being preserved in the Club Library by Marshall Field, Jr.

Pat Hartog will not be able to attend meetings any more, because of serious personal health problems.

Roger Benedict’s wife, Paula Christianson, returned recently from Mayo Brothers Clinic. She was in for some major reconstructive foot surgery. Bone changing stuff. Not a fun experience. But all went well, and she will be up and around in due time.

Tom Backer went into the University Hospital in Madison on Thursday, September 18, Tom was on the operating table for eleven hours. They put two new mechanical valves into his heart: replacing the original mitral and atrial valves. These two valves are on the left side of the heart, and they are responsible for pushing blood all around the body.

Tom’s wife, Rochelle, says doctors took most of the plastic tubes out of Tom on Sunday, and Tom has good color back in his face again. A good sign that circulation is OK. With care and good behavior, Tom is expected to be out of the hospital within a week or so.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Gary Lundquist, Secretary

¬ Business Session was called to order at 9:00 am by President Bob Hallstrom.

¬ Minutes of August meeting were read and approved as read.

¬ Treasurer John Wacker reported  balance brought forward; Income for the month and expenses for the month; leaving a month-end balance.

¬ Membership Chair Dona Wisner introduced visitors. John and Ruth VanVeeland from Muskegon, Michigan, came to our meeting. John is a carver, and brought along a project to show ... a three-foot stick that he’s turning into a chain. One link at a time. They are recently married, and are in the process selling her home here in Rockford so they can live in John’s place in Michigan. They winter in the South, and that’s where they met. If they have time, they may be steady visitors at our Wednesday morning carving sessions until Ruth’s home is sold.

¬ Librarian Marshall Field, Jr. reported the library is growing. New, updated library lists are available. Just ask.

¬ Newsletter Editor reported on a letter from Monte Spinker. A copy of which will be in the next Newsletter.

Bob Matthews has wood and some onion skin patterns he bought from a widow of a former Club member. He will sell these items, and anything over his cost will be donated to the Club.

Bob Hallstrom passed out lists for Club Members to sign up for Club name tags, and Club aprons.

Roger Benedict had a bird carving given to him by Joan Pansche which had been started but never finished by her late husband. She originally wanted someone in the Club to finish it.

Bob Hallstrom has some carving tools for sale from a former woodcarver. Bob has them all sharpened and ready to go.

John Winter told us about some extensive wood carvings (all in oak) in the second floor of the Winnebago City Library.

Bob Matthews brought in his oldest carving: a duck. Even as a "rooky" Bob did quite well! On another occasion, Bob brought in this handsome cock pheasant flushed from cover!

Click on picture to make it larger.

Larry Clark brought in a couple of pictures of a life-sized carving of a man’s shirt. Done by Chris Pye in the UK. The flowing fabric was amazing ... gentle folds in the limewood ( linden or basswood in the USA ) looked so real.

Roger Benedict brought in a new tool kit he had designed and built for when he was carving in the field.

John Skaggs brought in a complete scene of a voyageur portaging a canoe on his shoulders. Good carving. Nice scenery.

Frank Lay brought in the chess set he has been working on. It has a religious theme, and is carved from black walnut and a "whit wood" which Frank could not identify. (Ed note: That was a LOT of carving, Frank.)

Gale Terrell showed a bottle stopper with a muse on top.

Rich Andersen’s program presentation on old and antique woodworking hand tools created quite a stir of interest. Not too surprising since many of the men in the Club are old enough to have had actual hands-on experience with some of the old style tools. Especially curious were some of the highly-specialized planes. Most of us had no idea what some of the tools might be used for. Then there was John Winter. John is an old hand at woodworking and carpenters’ hand tools. John knew.

ð October 15 - Club Carving - TBA

ð November 19 - Recognize Carver/Member of the Year, Nomination of officers

ð December 17 - Election of Officers, Christmas Party & Swap

ð January 21, 2009 - Launch 2009 programs - plan 2009 Show, etc.

ð February

October 3-5, Bloomington, IL, Phil & Vicki Bishop caricature carving. Contact Mike Hartzler, 14 Swan Lake Road, 309-662-4276.

October 19-23, Branson, MO. Ninth annual Rendezvous II Seminar at Compton Ridge Campground & Convention Center. Variety of classes, Contact Ed Zinger, 15222 South Greenwood, Villa #2102, Olathe, Kansas, 66062.   Web site www.woodcarvingrendezvous.com.

November 14, 15, & 16, Bettendorf, IA, Phil & Vicki Bishop bring championship caricature carving lessons to The Woodcraft Shop 2724 State Street, Bettendorf. $185 plus roughouts of your choice ($10 to $45). Carol & Larry Yudis, 563-359-9684, www.thewoodcraftshop.com.

December 5, 6, & 7, Bettendorf, IA, - Rick Harney will teach Deep Relief Carving of a fireman bust into a block of wood 12 ½" x 10" x 4" thick. Now that’s deep. $225, including roughout. The Woodcraft Shop, 2724 State Street, Carol & Larry Yudis, 563-359-9684, www.thewoodcraftshop.com.

October 25-26, Wheaton, IL. North Suburban Carvers’ 29^th annual Artistry In Wood show at DuPage County Fair Grounds. Terri Pijut, 847-458-2919.

October 26, Madison, WI. 20^th annual Capitol Area Carvers of WI show/sale @ Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI. 10am-4pm; admission free. Co-sponsored by Badger Woodturners. Demos, raffles, vendors,. Manny Voeltz 608-241-1188, mmvoeltz@sbcglobal.net; Patti Landmann 920-992-5226. Website madison.com/communities/madcarvers.

November & December & January - no known shows in our immediate area.

WANT ADS

WANT TO HIRE - Assistant Editor for this Newsletter. Regular Editor wants back-up while on extended road trip. Will pay Editor’s salary, plus 50%, and relinquish complete control to Assistant while Editor is on the road. Amazing opportunity for free self-expression!

CIRCULATION STATEMENT: October issue of Blackhawk Woodcarver is mailed to 75 members; 17 prospective members; and 11 Friends of Blackhawk Carving Club. Total circulation = 103. We send all copies First Class Mail, in envelopes to assure the greatest possible readership.