Capital Woodcarvers Association

Another State Fair has come and gone.  The weather was cooler and State Fair attendance was up.  Only one of our members, Andy Hiroshima, entered a carving in the Creative Arts competition this year but the carving won three different awards including Best of Division.  Congratulations Andy!

Eleven of our club members demonstrated wood carving and chatted with visitors to the demonstration area inside the Creative Arts Building on Wednesday July 27 and Thursday July 28.  The visitors expressed a lot of interest in woodcarving and we were able to put in a lot of “plugs” for our annual club show in May.  Altogether we passed out approximately 60 of Kath Gervais’ threefold brochure which provides information about our club and our show and also includes a membership application.

Of course we were asked the usual questions of “What kind of wood is that? How long did it take to carve that? How long have you been carving?” etc.  This year I had an unusual visitor.  It was a lady from Valley Springs who did linoleum carving among many other things.  I stopped carving while I was talking to her and was unconsciously rubbing my fingers together.  After a bit she announced that she was into body mechanics and thought something was wrong with my hands.  She asked for permission to work on my hands which I gave.  She pulled on my fingers which caused my knuckles to pop and crack.  She did the same to my elbows.  She said my bones were now back in place.  At the time I dismissed the experience as a humorous incident but now wish that I had gotten her name and how to contact her.  Prior to her tugs on my fingers my right hand would experience a slight soreness after carving a while which I assumed was the onset of a corporal tunnel problem.  Since her manipulations I haven’t experienced the soreness.  I’m not sure if it is because of what she did or if it is because I haven’t been carving as much.  But it would be nice to be able to get in touch with her in case the soreness comes back.

Thanks to the carvers who assisted in the demonstrations and brought some of their carvings to display during their shifts.  The demonstrators this year were Terry Hajek, Joe You, John and Peggy Lucero, Andy Hiroshima, Jim Wycoff, John Burke, Alice Bowles, and Lonnie and Nancy Buck.  Thanks also to Jim Allen and Alice Bowles for generously loaning several of their carvings for display throughout the two days of demonstrations.

Ed Santarosa