It was another hot October weekend in Nelsonville, Ohio at the Great Outdoors Festival. Lumberjacks were all over the grounds showing off their huge gas powered chainsaws.

This weekend would mark my first ever Masters Wood Carving Competition. There would be yet another first, I would compete in the Quickcarve. This is a speed event in which each person carves one log in 45 minutes. That time crunch was enough to make me nervous.

As it turns out, I was able to carve two sculptures in the time alloted and walk away with first place! I carved the beloved Ohio State Block O, a local crowd favorite. Each one was painted Scarlet and Gray.

For the Masters event, we were given a piece of wood 12 feet long with a 24" diameter. With three days of work you really "saw" some master pieces! My sculpture was titled "Lunch". It was a shark chasing down four little fish. This sculpture was put together with 5 separate attachment points and was 8 feet long and 3 feet tall. It was awarded the third place prize.

The first place winner was Lumberjack Jack Reese. It was Jack's first victory in the circuit and he deserved it. Carving three herons, he masterfully painted his way to the top. Great job Jack. Second place goes to Dale Hatfield of Extreme Sculpture. Dale carved a bear playing Hide & Seek with a raccoon.

In all, it was a great weekend and I would like to thank Dale for inviting me to participate. I would also like to thank all the other carvers for sharing their knowledge of wood carving competitions with me.

Rock On Ice