Monthly Newsletter
Fiddlers Grove Woodcarvers
Lebanon, TN
September 9, 2023


Meeting Conducted By: Rich Patterson

Location: Town Hall, Fiddlers Grove

Number in Attendance: 7    Visitors: 0

Old Business:

An "after action" discussion was held regarding our participation in the Wilson County/State Fair. We all believed that the fair was a success from our standpoint -- we were able to have club members at the fair each day during the hours the fair was open. Special recognition and a giant "thank you" needs to go to Phil who was there every day from start to finish which is a lot of long hours for ten days in a row. We found that, in the Fiddlers Grove area, attendance waned beginning around 8:00p, especially on the weekdays early in the week, so we were able to leave a little early. Several members were able to sell some of their carvings and, overall, we were happy to talk with fair attendees and promote our craft and our club.

There was also discussion regarding "staffing" the fair in upcoming years. The days were brutally hot this year and, since none of us is getting any younger, we may need to look at alternate staffing protocols. As a side note, there has been some discussion by those who run the fair about moving it to September when it is cooler. However, that brings a host of other issues for them including coordinating a date change with a multitude of vendors and ride providers, the impact it would have on other groups who typically use the ag center for events that month, and how attendance might change since all schools will be in session. We will have to wait to see what the future brings but, for now, we will need to get more Fiddlers Grove Woodcarvers involved to relieve the burden on those who are regularly there.

New Business:

The Tannehill Woodcarving Club in Alabama is having their annual woodcarving retreat at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, AL September 18-21. They have invited anyone from the Fiddlers Grove club to join them. At this point, five member have indicated that they will be going.

The Fall Celebration in Granville, TN is scheduled for October 7th. The club has committed to have representatives at that event.

The Wilson County Bank Oktoberfest is scheduled for October 21-22 this year. The club has also committed to be represented at that event.

Jon indicated that he installed new LED lights in the Master Gardener's Building and it is much brighter than it was previously -- the master gardeners are very pleased. The master gardeners have committed to pay $150 for the new lights and our club will pick up the balance which will be less than $50.

Show & Tell

Three members had carvings to show at the meeting. First, Earnest had three carvings. The first carvng was done several years ago out of basswood -- a butterfly on flowers. The second carving is a John Dory fish both hand and power carved out of mahogany. For those not familiar with this fish, the John Dory, or St Peter Fish, may be rather strange looking, but it's highly valued for its mild, slightly sweet flavour, pearly-white flesh and firm, succulent texture. It's a heavy-boned fish, and a little more expensive because of its low yield. The third carving is a chain with a cross on the end and a ball in the cross. This carving was carved out of one piece of basswood.




Jon carved a salad spoon and fork out of cherry wood with both power and some by hand. He indicated that the cherry wood was very hard so he had to use power.




Jon also displayed an intarsia fish that he did not make but purchased because it was so unique and a different form of woodworking than we normally do. Intarsia is the art of creating a mosaic-like picture from pieces of wood. Different species of wood are selected for their color and cut to size using a scroll saw. The woodcarver can create an illusion of depth by carefully selecting the grain pattern and direction of each individual piece.








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