Public can watch woodcarvers at work

Font Size:

By Times Staff | Friday, May 9, 2008 2:05 AM CDT | () comments

About a dozen chain saw woodcarvers will gather Saturday in Davenport for the third Carving for Cancer Rendezvous, creating sculptures that will be auctioned and raffled in June to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The public is invited to watch the carvers in action from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lot behind the Iowa Machine Shed restaurant, 7250 Northwest Blvd. Lawn chairs are encouraged, and refreshments will be available.

The rendezvous is free and intended to generate interest in carving as well as the auction that will be held immediately after the 6 p.m. opening ceremony for the June 20 Relay for Life at Brady Street Stadium in Davenport.

Last year, about $7,000 was raised from the sale of chain saw sculptures, and carver Tom Verdon of Davenport is hoping for an even larger figure this year, as last year’s crowd was diminished by rain.

He hopes that 20-25 carvings will be made Saturday. In addition to Verdon, participants will include Thom Gleich, a widely known Davenport carver whose most recent piece is a likeness of Katie Soenksen, a North High School graduate who died a year ago in Iraq. They will be joined by a Floyd, Iowa, man who was the featured carver at last year’s Mississippi Valley Fair.