“History is the connection between our past and our present. It provides us with a trail of how we arrived at where, and who we are today.”

—Source Unknown

History years are in descending order to 2009

2024

• January was a light month month with no scheduled in-house wood carving sessions.

• February: The in-house carving project will be “Carving a Valentine Bear” with Stewart Hodges leading the group.

• March began with an in-house monthly carving session known as “Mystery Carving.” Stewart Hodges and Charles Griffin served as instructors. Each participant was able to choose from various basswood blocks and basswood shapes. The idea was to study the block and determine what you could carve from it. At the end of the month, 2-3 judges will determine the best carving based mainly on creativity and the recipient(s) will receive a nice prize.

• The Board of Directors approved an $84 per year expenditure to upgrade the SquareSpace Website from a Personal site to a Business site. In addition a $45 expenditure was previously approve to add a TABLE function to the site.

• April offered a basic pyrography class taught by Lynne Patrick. Participants received instructions on wood burning tools and their use. They also learned how to prepare wood for burning, transfer patterns and shading techniques.

2023

• December was the month for the annual Triad Woodcarvers Christmas Party. There were over 50 people in attendance and everyone had a great time! The remaining Monday night carving sessions were dedicated to pattern swapping and regular carving.

• During November, Carol Adair and Tim Trudgeon offered instructions on painting techniques.

• October was the month for carving Santa’s. Tim Trudgeon had a pre-cut, triangular basswood block (2” x 2” x 4 1/2” long) for each member. The first session was October 2nd.

• During September, Stewart Hodges held two sessions on “Carving a Pumpkin.” Several members participated and there were many interesting pumpkin faces.

• August was the month for Love Spoon carving. Ruth McHenry and husband Vince served as instructors for the class. The club was also fortunate to have Bob Stadtlander come to Winston-Salem, NC and conduct a 3-day seminar on relief carving from August 14-16, 2023.

• The month of July involved classes on how to carve a “Chirping Cricket.” Tom Mock, one of the TWC instructors, taught the class.

• During the month of June, Stewart Hodges completed a class on Proportions—how to proportion the face and body of your carvings to give a more natural and realistic look. The annual picnic was held at Miller Park Recreation Center on June 26th. Lynne Patrick was the lucky winner for finding the hidden Gnome in the membership contest and received a beautiful Helvie woodcarving knife.

• On May 8th, Lynne Patrick started an in-house training class on Basic Pyrography.

• Completed the in-house carving event for April: Angel Ornament (Instructor: Will Crawford)

• March offered more in-house opportunities for new and seasoned carvers. Tim Trudgeon completed a 4-week training program on sharpening, honing and maintaining a carving knife. New TWC Club members in these sessions learned how to correctly “charge” a sharpening strop; and, how to maintain their knife by honing (stropping).

• February 28 was the cut-off date to renew membership—members that renewed, plus those additional ones that joined since the first of the year, was 59.

• Completed the In-house carvings for February: How to Carve Little People (Instructor: Carol Adair)

• Completed the In-house carvings for January: How to Carve a bottle Stopper (Instructors: Charles Griffin and Stewart Hodges)

• Membership continues to grow again as 2023 dues are received—January is the month to renew dues.

2022

COVID restrictions kept membership growth low, but many woodcarvers still participated by coming to the meetings and wearing face masks as dictated by restrictions.

Some of the carving events for the year were: the Rock House in Lexington, NC; Carolina Classic Fair (formally known as the Dixie Classic Fair); Murray’s Mill; Paul Ciener Botanical Gardens in Kernersville, NC; and, Highland Games at Bethabara Park.

Tim Trudgeon received CARVER OF THE YEAR and his name and date were engraved on a brass plate, mounted on a wooden base, and placed in the display cabinet at Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop. Tim was the second carver in the Club to receive this award.

2021

The initial STEM Pyrography class was so successful that an intermediate class was started with Lynne Patrick as instructor. Students were able to use the skills learned in the initial class and advance to more difficult projects.

In February, the Club displayed a number of carvings at the Forsyth County Public Library in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Triad Woodcarvers Club (TWC) started the CARVER OF THE YEAR program in 2021 and Club member Ray Branch was the recipient that year. Ray’s name and the date were engraved on a brass plate, mounted on a wooden base, and placed in the display cabinet at Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop.

In December, 2021, Triad Woodcarvers Club (TWC) had 132 members, making it the second largest woodcarver’s club in the Carolinas—second only to the Charlotte chapter reporting a membership of 157.

In November of 2021, Triad Woodcarvers Club (TWC) participated in the ART SHOW fundraiser sponsored by ReadWS (Read, Write, and Spell). ReadWS is a program that provides funding from the sale of art and woodcarvings for the purpose of tutoring students experiencing challenges with literacy. TWC Club member Tony Leonardi was instrumental in coordinating this event for the Club with ReadWS. This event also was a major fund raiser for TWC because it shared a percentage of total sales.

In an article appearing in the March 13, 2021, issue of the Winston-Salem Journal in connection with a display of some 60 carvings at the Central Library in Winston-Salem, Carol Adair expressed what many members feel about the art of woodcarving as nurtured by the Club: “You’ll never know how much you’ll like it. This is going to be a hobby for life for me.”

2020

In 2020, the TWC challenged the South Carolina Piedmont Woodcarvers in Malden, South Carolina to see which Club would enter the most carvings in the 2020 Charlotte Showcase of Woodcarvings. Thirty-one members of TWC Club entered 416 carvings and won 170 ribbons in the competition, including 5 Best In Their Category, and 2 Best of Novice. This competition resulted in the highest number of carvings ever entered in the Charlotte Showcase of Woodcarvings over 38 years of the event.

On June 25, 2020 the Club was approved as a non-profit organization under the IRS 501 (c)(3) umbrella—actually classified as a 509(a)(2)-Public Charity Status. The Club had applied for this a couple of years earlier and was accepted but inadvertently allowed the deadline for renewal to expire.

A beginner’s class in Pyrography was introduced in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) with Lynne Patrick as instructor and Charles Griffin as assistant. A syllabus was developed and wood burning equipment and supplies were purchased.

The Club carving display scheduled for November/December at the Forsyth County Public Library was postponed because of COVID issues.

2019

In 2019, the Club committed to providing 100 carved “Angels of Hope” annually to the Ronald McDonald House in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The carvings were so designed and carved to provide a sense of ‘Comfort’ for residents of the facility who have children undergoing medical treatment at local hospitals.

During April 1-25, 2019, the Club dressed a display window at the Yadkinville, NC Public Library with wood carvings from our membership. The Club decorated another display case at the Kernersville Branch of the Forsyth County Public Library from August 1-28, 2019.

The Club purchased and installed a display case at Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop and stocked it with Club carvings of various types for the public to see. Not only did it attract a lot of visitors, but it provided encouragement for would-be carvers to join the Club and learn to carve. In addition to the display, the Club started an on-site carving demonstration twice monthly at Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays.

During 2019, Triad Woodcarvers Club (TWC) joined the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. More commonly know as the “Arts Council,” it maintains a campus of three theatres, two galleries, and other spaces that bring the arts community together. These venues include Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (Reynolds Place Theatre, Mountcastle Forum, Sawtooth School for Visual Art, Main Gallery, Every Corner Gallery) and Hanesbrands Theatre." This membership links our Club with the other art groups in the area and provides more exposure to the art of woodcarving.

Also during 2019, the Club approved a program to provide high school students with basic woodcarving instruction. A partnership was formed with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) of the Triad Home School Association to teach their high school students in a 13-week semester. Tim Trudgeon was the initial program leader. Will Crawford and Charles Griffin followed and developed the teaching syllabus currently being used. Because of the growing interest and demand, several other Club members including Stewart Hodges, Larry Bailey, Mark Payne, and Carol Adair joined the effort.

A Club website was developed and launched by Will Crawford in 2019 using the SquareSpace program and provided an excellent avenue for publicizing the Club and showing our carvings and program features.

The COVID pandemic posed a problem for the Club. The Club continued to meet outside on the picnic tables at Miller Park when the weather permitted and they could no longer meet inside the facility. When COVID restrictions allowed, the Club was able to meet inside again, but masks had to be worn during the carving sessions. The Club provided its members with a sense of community at a time when many people felt isolated. TWC Club formed a Sunshine Committee to reach out to members, as well as their families, having medical issues. Rachel Powell and Sue Rupp headed up this committee.

TWC Club member Ray Branch, cited in an article appearing in Forsyth Family magazine in November of 2019, aptly described the Triad Woodcarvers Club (TWC) as follows: “Our mission as a club is to enhance the skills of other carvers by teaching, sharing, and learning new techniques for all carvers, both novice as well as master carvers. Our focus is to promote the art of woodcarving within the general public. We are committed to giving back to the community.”

2018

Triad Woodcarvers Club (TWC) applied for a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS and received it. This actually was the second application submitted—the first one submitted two years prior expired because it was not renewed.

The Christmas Tree Ornament Project was so successful that it was repeated again in 2018. TWC Club continued to actively promote the art of woodcarving in the community; and, in 2018 began setting up displays of their handiwork in local libraries. In addition to these displays, the Club participated in carving events and festivals—Horne Creek Historical Farm, the Scottish Highland Games, the Cricket’s Nest Firecracker, Bethabara Park, and the Dixie Classic Fair.

2017

The Club continued to grow in membership and in September of 2017 relocated from Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop to the Miller Park Recreation Center at 400 Leisure Lane, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The meetings were then held every Monday from 3:00-9:00 p.m. and offered free carving lessons for all new members.

Also in 2017, the Club extended its outreach into the community by participating in the Christmas Tree Ornament Project at the Sawtooth School for Visual Arts, 251 North Spruce Street, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Over 400 ornaments carved by TWC Club members, as well as from clubs from twenty other states and Canada, were displayed on a 7-foot tree at that facility. The ornaments were sold at their Deck the Halls sale and over 50% of the revenues were donated to funding the Sawtooth’s Youth Scholarship Program.

2009

In the summer of 2009, a group of woodcarvers began to meet monthly for two hours at Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop in the Pavillians Shopping Center, 532 Hanes Mall Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Triad Woodcarvers Club (TWC) was formed and Tim Trudgeon was elected as Club President. Other elected officers were: Matt Lomison, Vice President; Paul Kisselbach, Secretary; and, Dan Rominger as Treasurer. Other members included: Bill Burton, Bob MacKenzie, Larry Milton, Fred Moench, Bob Ramsey, Jo Robinson, Dottie Sabo, Dick Sheek, Brian Tilton, Howard Tucker, Jennifer Utley, Bill Whitaker, Gunner Halliday (Youth—Paul Kisselbach, Sponsor).

In the fall of 2009, the newly formed group began to publish a Newsletter—photographs were included in 2014 and meeting Minutes in 2015. From the very beginning, the Newsletter reported on programs led by members of the Club. Jim Carpenter, a widely known bird carver, offered a painting program in December of 2009.

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PAST CLUB PRESIDENTS

Tim Trudgeon 2009-2011

Allie Hutchinson 2012-2014

Tom Mock 2015-2019

Stewart Hodges 2020-2022

Tony Leonardi 2023-

IN GENERAL

The Club continually offers various carving programs for its membership during the weekly carving sessions. Most of these programs are taught in-house by carvers experienced it the area. As examples: Allie Hutchinson has taught Chip Carving; Tim Trudgeon has taught Santa Claus Ornament Carving; Vince and Ruth McHenry have taught Spoon Carving; Lynne Patrick has taught Pyrography; Stewart Hodges has taught Bottle Stopper and Toothpick Holder classes; Tom Mock has taught Cottonwood bark carving; Belford Fuller has taught walking stick and wood spirit carving; Carol Mock has taught Wooden Jewelry Carving; and there have been many more classes too numerous to mention.

New Members are offered free carving lessons and systematically work through five basic carving projects at no cost—Grain training, Mushroom, Star, Comfort Bird, and Cowboy Boot.

The “Angels of Hope” project for the Ronald McDonald House continues to be very successful and has now expanded from only angels to comfort birds, turtles, whales, and other creatures. Past and present coordinators of this project include: Ray Branch, Ruth McHenry, Jim Zimmer, and Carol Adair.