Rally on the Rio coming next week
PHARR - There are 27 categories available for woodcarvers to showcase their skills and projects during the 2018 Rio Grande Valley Woodcarving Show, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 12-13 at the Nomad Shrine Club, located at 1044 W. Nolana in Pharr.
Admission is $3 and the show is open from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day.
The show will include projects such as birds, fish, flowers, jewelry, mythical characters, canes, spiritual, bowls, gourds and more. There are categories also for instructor-assisted class work, knife carvings, painted wood burning, wooden toys, woodturning and others.
The show also features exhibits by carvers, carving instructors, tool vendors, and wood vendors.
“There will be such a large variety of carvings from caricatures to realistic,” said Jim Crawford, vice-president of the RGV Woodcarvers. “We’re hoping to have more than 150 different projects in the show. There will be all sorts of rough outs and partially cut out items and wood for sale along with all the tools one needs.”
There will also be several instructors on hand and Crawford said the show is not just for experienced carvers, but for those who even may have an interest in it or those who just want to see the amazing work that’s being done in the Valley. In fact, he added, there will be several different instructors who would “make great beginning instructors.”
While the show ends on Saturday, the following week will be “The Rally on the Rio” where 22 different instructors will be available from about 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. teaching multiple classes at the Nomad Shrine Club. The Rally features a variety of carving, pyrography, and painting classes with a large number of nationally known instructors. Crawford said the public is welcome to visit the club during at that time and walk around to see what is happening.
“It’s not formal; it’s very informal,” Crawford said. “We have an instructor couple coming from Gatlinburg, Tenn. and another coming from Colorado for that week. We also have some that are Winter Texans. It’s a great opportunity for people to come and see what the club is about.”
There is no admission charge during “The Rally on the Rio” week, however the classes require a registration fee. Fees vary, depending on the class. To view the instructors and classes they will be teaching, go to www.rgvwoodcarvers.org.
The club has a long history in the Valley, dating back to 1983 when they met every Thursday, and still do. Carving club members come from as far away as New York, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The group still meets regularly Thursday mornings. “When we have meetings on Thursday morning, guests are always welcome,” Crawford said.
For more information on the show, the following week of instructors at the Shrine Club or for general information, call Crawford at (956) 279-6013. You can also visit them online at www.rgvwoodcarvers.org.
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