Mark Your Calendars

Our February meeting will be held on 12 February at 7:00 p.m.  This is our last meeting before our annual show, so if you have any questions or concerns about the show, please attend.  This is your best chance to get them answered!  Our annual club show will be held on March 6 and 7.

If you have any show materials such as signs, door prize contributions, etc., please bring them along to this meeting.  A roster for door duty and other activities was circulated at our January meeting, but some slots are still open.  Please consider signing up for a slot at the February meeting.

Help Needed for March Club Meeting

Ideas for the March carving project and teaching volunteers for the project are needed.  We need this project to be simple, since this will be the first meeting attended by folks who sign on at the show, and we will likely have numerous beginners.  Please bring ideas and patterns to the February meeting, and please consider signing on to teach the project.

Competition Held at January Meeting, Projects Handed Out

Our carving competition at our January meeting featured many fine entries.  Unfortunately, at this time we don’t know who all the winners were, since some entries went home before winning names were recorded!  We’ll figure out who the winners were at the February meeting, and publish them in the March newsletter.

Thanks go to the sixteen club members who volunteered at the January meeting to produce carvings for door and raffle prizes for the show.  In keeping with the spring time-frame of the show, each carver received a basswood egg and is free to carve the egg anyway they like.  Laura Putman Dunkle graciously gave the club permission to reproduce some of her festive animal patterns such as rabbits, chickens, birds and raccoons, and many of these were handed out to carvers.

Thanks again to those who volunteered to do egg carvings, and please remember to bring your carvings to hand in at the February show.

Show Publicity Needed

Mike O’Bradovic needs lots of help from all club members in selling ads in the show program.  This is a major source of revenue for the club so please give Mike a call to get more information on how to help.  Mike can be reached at 513-509-9239 or 937-746-3132.

At the January meeting Mike handed out posters for display in store windows, libraries, etc.  Please help Mike by taking a few posters and putting them on display.

Also, at our February meeting, don’t forget to pick up several handfuls of brochures for the show and deliver them to stores or pass them out to friends at the bowling alley, work, etc.  We need all the help we can get to draw in the public. 

Raffle Tickets Mailed

Along with this newsletter you will have received several packets of raffle tickets.  Raffle prices are $1 per ticket, or six for $5.  Last year’s raffle was a major source of show revenue, so we need everyone to try selling.  You may turn in money and tickets at the February meeting or give them to Rich Baginski at the show.  Extra tickets will be available at the February meeting, or you can call Mike O’Bradovic.

Our incentive program for ticket sales will continue again this year.  The incentives give you an opportunity to save money and be eligible for prizes.  The savings incentives are:

You sell   Your incentive/reward

$15               Your 2004 dues cut in half ($6 value)

$30               Your 2004 dues are free ($12 value)

$60               Your show table is free ($30 value)

Also every raffle ticket sold goes into a hopper for a special drawing for ticket sellers.  We have some nice items that ticket sellers can win.  Just write your name on the back of every ticket you sell to be eligible for the drawing.

Non-Carvers’ Raffle Now On

Thanks to a late spurt in contributions, our non-carvers’ raffle is now a go.  Our prizes include a porcelain doll, a carved necklace, a decorative gourd, and twelve carved eggs.  Tickets and details on the prizes for this raffle should be included with your newsletter.

Seminars Filling Up

All spots for the Bob Travis caricature-carving seminar scheduled for March 4^th and 5^th are now filled.  However, you may sign up for the waiting list in case of a no-show.

There are a few spaces left in the “Whittling Twigs & Branches” seminar by Chris Lubkeman on Monday, March 8, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.  Sign up now before the class is full.  Sign-ups are open to non-club-members now, but club members may still sign-on. 

Call Rich (513-697-1032) or Hershal (513-423-3290) to sign up for either seminar.