Monthly Newsletter
Fiddlers Grove Woodcarvers
Lebanon, TN
November 11, 2023
Meeting Conducted By: Rich Patterson
Location: Town Hall, Fiddlers Grove
Number in Attendance: 6 Visitors: 2
Old Business:
The club participated in the Oktoberfest this year and the weather was great and all who attended had a good time. The event was well attended and we were able to talk to quite a few people regarding our club and the craft of woodcarving. Several of us had multiple carvings to display.
The club normally receives an honorarium from the Wilson County Bank for our participation but Patricia reported that she did not receive a check this year. When she talked to the event coordinators about this, they indicated that they require all vendors to have a tax ID number (TIN) -- which is also known as an Employer Identification Number (EIN) -- for us to receive money for our attendance at Oktoberfest. She told them that we have never had a TIN and it was never a problem for us in the past and that we were considered artisans demonstrating our craft and that we were not vendors. As a result, they told her they would make an exception for us this year but indicated that we would need to have a TIN for next year. If we obtain a TIN we will probably need to file an income tax form each year regarding the money that the club made and that would be more of a hassle than it is worth. Phil indicated that it was his understanding that we would only need a TIN if the club made more than a certain amount of money and, for the $100 that we receive for the Oktoberfest, we would never reach that threshold. He indicated that there is a form we can use in lieu of a TIN indicating that we don't meet the threshold for a TIN. Patricia said she would follow up on this and talk to a tax accountant she knows about it.
New Business:
There was a lengthy discussion regarding our annual Christmas party this year. We discussed possible locations, dates, and times of the day to have the event. We decided to have the event at the same location we had it last year (Smith's Catering in Lebanon) and the first choice was Saturday, December 9th at 1:00. The Christmas party would take the place of our monthly meeting. All members and their spouses are invited to attend and the club pays for the dinner. We also decided to do a gift exchange with a couple of caveats: in order to get a gift, you have to bring one and if your spouse wants to participate in the exchange s/he would also have to bring one. The gift would need to be carving related and cost around $20 or so although it could be more if the "giver" wanted. Brenda said she would come up with an activity for the event. NOTE: After the meeting, Rich called Smith's Catering and they indicated that they were booked up and only had a few dates left. After some discussion with other members, Tuesday, December 19th at 1:00 was chosen from the available dates.. The menu will be similar to last year: Turkey, dressing, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, cranberry sauce, apple pie and beverages.
There was also discussion regarding the Tuesday meetings during the holidays. As a result, there will be no meetings on the following Tuesdays: November 21st, December 26th, and January 2nd. Note again that the Christmas Party will be on Tuesday, December 19th.
We also introduced new members who were attending the meeting -- Rob, Brenda, Dwight and his wife Robin.
Show & Tell
Four members had carvings to show at the meeting. First, Clark has been really busy carving and had several bark carvings. He also had a set of functional kitchen spoons made out of maple and finished with a food grade oil.
Jon made a cross out of painted dogwood flowers from a design made by Jeff Foster. He also carved a couple of Christmas ornaments.
Phil carved three Christmas ornaments, a penguin Santa, and a snowman.
Rich carved a whimsical Christmas ornament as well as a love spoon.
Lastly, is a carving that was carved by Dale and painted by Brenda. Dale's carving was for a special friend but he was unable to paint it so Brenda volunteered to do it for him. A very special "thank you" goes out to Brenda for helping out another carver in his time of need and for the great paint job. The carving was not at this meeting but was displayed at one of our Tuesday meeting.
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