May is continuing to be a busy month with various club members conducting carving classes. The club will continue to soliciting other members to use their carving talents to instruct/demonstrate to the membership. Several club members have volunteered to demonstrate woodcarving at the Matthews Farmer’s Market this month. We have also been contacted by a local Boy Scout Troop to demonstrate carving for 50-60 scouts. We welcome opportunities like this to showcase the artistry of woodcarving to the public.

The Board has approved the purchase of new LED tube lights for the Cathcart Center. Club volunteers will install them this month. We are all looking forward to a brighter area for carving.

Many thanks go Bob Benston and his committee for securing a new venue for our 2019 Woodcarvers Show. Having the Show at a new location will require participation from as many club members as possible. Please contact Bob and volunteer your time and talents to help make this another successful show.

It is with sad hearts to learn of the passing of one of our members, Debra Downer. Debra was a warm and wonderful person as well as a talented carver and painter. Debra was a friend to everyone she meet. She will be missed. Happy Carving !!!

Al Wheeler,
President

THE FREEDOM OF CARVING OPENS THE MIND TO UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES

This is my first newsletter as the new President of the Charlotte Woodcarvers Club. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bob Warner and all of the club members that have served on the Board of Directors, and all the other various volunteers that have worked so tirelessly to make this club what it is today. I would also like to recognize Bob Benston and his Show Committee for their extraordinary efforts to secure a new venue for our 2019 Woodcarver Show. Some of you may not know that the Marion Diehl Center will not be available to us for at least 2 years due to construction and may not even be available after that. I am confident that Bob and his group will be able to find a suitable facility soon.
April continues to be a busy month for the club with carving classes for the new members finishing up and the chip carving class instructed by Paul DesRosiers beginning. Rod Gatlin instructed a beginner’s class on carving faces and intends to hold a more advanced class soon. Thanks to all who stepped up so that we are able to help club members improve their woodcarving skills. Also in April club members have signed up to demonstrate wood carving at the Reid House in Matthews, NC.
Unleash your creativity. I would like to challenge each member to try something new in the art of woodcarving. If you haven’t tried carving caricatures or chip carving or birds or pyrography, get out of your comfort zone. You never know what you can do unless you try.

If you think you can or if you think you can’t….you’re right
Henry Ford

Happy Carving!
Al Wheeler
President

Now that the 2018 Showcase is over we can pat ourselves on our backs for a very successful show. Thank you to Bob Benston for being our 2018 Show Chairman and for a very successful show. We also thank all club members for their outstanding support of the club and to our Showcase.
We continued to rent out all show tables this year as we started this last year. This again was a big relief on Sunday as we closed down the show and was able to get home in time for Sunday supper.
Attendance for the show was around 2000 this year. We had 127 registered carvers with a total of 690 carvings for competition. In the Novice Division there were 21 carvers and 103 carvings. In the Intermediate Division there were 49 carvers and 304 carvings. In the Open Division there were 57 carvers and 283 carvings. We were also represented by 12 states and 21 different carving clubs.
Bubba Mullis took on the JC Campbell raffle again this year and collected $1025 for this year’s sales. We congratulate Diane Bagwell as the winner for a week long class at the John C. Campbell School. Thank you Bubba for another successful year towards the JC Campbell raffle sales.
This year the club had 107 items in the raffle. We were actually running out of space to display all items that were donated. Thanks to all those that contributed to our raffle as we collected $2995 in our table raffle sales. This brings our total raffle and silent auction sales to $4020.
Thanks to all the carving clubs and individual carvers for their support to our 2018 Showcase of Woodcarvings.
We would also like to recognize the seven (7) CCA members who attended our show this year; Mitch Cartledge, Dennis Thornton, Ron Dowdy, Tom Wolf, Desiree Hajny, Steve Brown and Jim Hiser. It’s an honor to have this many CCA members attend our show and we welcome all of you back to our 2019 Showcase of Woodcarvings.

Thank you “Charlotte Woodcarvers Club” for all your support to the club and the support for all woodcarving clubs in the surrounding area. We thank Carmel Presbyterian Church and Matthews Woodcraft Store for a place to demonstrate the art of woodcarving. We also thank Charlotte Parks and Recreation for their support for our Showcase of Woodcarvings.

As our 2017 showcase is just over a month away it’s time to think about finishing your carvings and putting on that special finish. If you have not thought about entering your carving or carvings in the show, please do so and enjoy seeing your carvings alongside many others. It’s really breath taken to see your carvings in competition with others. This is also the best time to support the club with your registration and you never know, there just might be a ribbon for that carving you just finished.

2017 was a fantastic year for our club in supporting not only our club but other clubs in demonstrating the art of woodcarving. You can read about the accomplishments last year in the article 2017 Year in Review.
As we prepare ourselves for another new year, let us remember those members that left us for another carving world. We will miss our carving friends and will remember them as they were a part of our fellowship and achievements.

Happy Carving…

The first knife cut of your project is a journey you will cherish