Pine Roots Present a Challenge At the October Meeting of SDWC

Thanks to Don Arend a whole table full
of wondrous and assorted remnants of Black Hills pine tree roots were available free of charge to members attending the Second Thursday evening meeting of the SD Woodcarvers. It will be interesting to see what will eventually emerge from these uniquely different pieces of wood.

Don was also prepared to help with making the wound wire trees he is famous for, but no one was quite ready yet to try out this new art form. Maybe there will be more interest in that for our next meeting in November.

SPEAKING OF WHICH--Due to the Second Thursday occurring on Veteran's Day, this meeting will be postponed until the following Thursday, November 18th. (And if you buy into "Numerology" stuff and Gary, the Numbers Guy, you know that anything associated with the number 11 is probably a good thing to avoid…hence 11/11 is probably a really good date

to not go to any woodcarving meetings..?.:).

Also appearing at this meeting was the first of finished horse head projects, begun during the July meeting of SDWC at the Horse Barn Art Center. Pictured right is one of three samples brought in by Dick Sabers.

Sioux Empire Woodcarving Expo Judging Results

Novice Class Best of Show:





Bison

carved by Dick Hansen, Sioux Falls








Intermediate Class Best of Show:










Troika


Carved by Gerald Gackle
Sioux Falls






Advanced Class Best of Show:

House Wren





Carved by ArneBortnem
Sioux Falls

Eighteenth Annual Sioux Empire Wood Carving Exposition

August 10-15 -- Sioux Falls, S. Dak. at W. H Lyon Fairgrounds, Sioux Falls, SD.

Fair admission $5.

Rules and Entry Form for entering this woodcarving competition can be downloaded from the Sioux Empire Fair website. Just click the Sioux Empire Fair Link at the right and look for pages 83 and 84 in the PDF file.

For more information, contact:

President D. Hansen, 605-334-5978, oldbiomass@aol.com

Or:

Arne Bortnem, 605-361-3547, stumpkicker@hotmail.com

Meet Member Steve Sechser

Steve was born in Omaha where his father was a businessman. And later, he grew up in Sioux Falls, his mother's hometown, with three sisters. Sisters live in Sioux Falls and one in Kansas City. For family, Steve has a daughter and a son with both living in the Black Hills.

After serving for thirty years, Steve retired from the Postal Service three years ago. In a walking route, Steve would cover about five miles a day. All that walking set him up for a hiking hobby today, which he shares with his children. In later years of work, Steve drove his routes. When asked if he had any trouble with dogs he answered none. But he did have one good story of a dog, which came out for the mail and carried it back to his owner who was confined to a wheelchair. Smart dog. Good story.

Steve has outdoor hobbies such as hiking, fishing (4 or 5 times in Canada), biking around Sioux Falls, winter cross-country skiing and gardening. Today, Steve lives on a five-acre piece of ground with a house and barn on it. There he tends a garden of vegetables and flowers, and also gets a crop of asparagus.

Past carving projects have been walking sticks for his daughter. Steve got interested in carving from looking over club carving at the local fair several years ago. He was thinking that he would like another hobby. He joined the S D Woodcarvers in 2009, and today he is carving a Dick Saber's bark carving of a hobo.

Today, Steve is fixing up an old hip-roof barn with new shingles and several rooms on the lower level for a shop. He would like to add equipment for carving and some furniture projects. Wild life (the animal and bird kind) is another interest Steve has. Some day he would like to do some animal and duck carving. Steve, be careful on that barn roof!

Welcome to our club Steve. It's good to see you at our monthly meetings.

Meet Member Bill Dickey

Bill Dicky was born in Pennsylvania and lived there for a year while his father, Bill Dickey Sr., was in the service. Then Bill moved to Sioux Falls, grew up and attended school there. After graduation, Bill enrolled in the Estherville, Iowa, Junior College for a Criminal Justice Degree. With that in hand, Bill returned to Sioux Falls where he worked as a correction officer for Minnehaha County. Later, a local Law Enforcement officer approached Bill about becoming a policeman.


Now living in Emmetsburg, Iowa, Bill served there as a policeman for two or three years. In Emmetsburg, Bill met Sharolyn and married her. A few years later Bill became the Public Works Director, a position he still occupies. One of the several responsibilities Bill and his seven-man crew has is clearing the streets of snow. And with a total so far of seventy-two inches of snow, this year has been especially challenging.

Sharolyn, wife, is a financial officer also working in Emmetsburg. Both Bill and Sharolyn tend to their backyard. The yard has a pond with all the trimming. This takes them alot of energy and time what with their crayfish pond inhabitants. Other pets are a dog and a parrot.

Along with taking care of the streets of Emmetsburg, Bill is an EMT, on call five nights a week on ambulance runs as needed. One week, they made seven runs.

Needless to say, Bill is busy. And as much as he enjoys carving, he doesn’t find a lot of time to engage in it. Carving about eighteen years, the majority of his carving is done with his family and friends at workshops. They have attended workshops in Forest City and Bill has helped in setting up workshops in Emmetsburg. Teachers have included carver John Burke and Lloyd Meng. Bill says he is appreciative of friendships at those events and also here in our club.

Bill’s first carving was an Indian bust, of Butternut, well soaked wood, and carved wet. Today, it sits in their dining room along with other Burke and Meng carvings. Bill also enjoys caricature projects.

The only problem Bill had with carving was the time he and eight other carvers dremeled their way into a project in the family garage. Suffice to say they raised a lot of dust, which made its way through the whole house. Sharolyn is very supportive though, today inviting Bill into her kitchen to do his carving. Just no more dremeling groups. Sharolyn, we understand and especially so our wives.

Bill would like to be more active in our club but distance is a big problem. Bill, you are welcome here whenever it works out for you.