Every January for the past 39 years the Rio Grande Valley Woodcarvers has sponsored the premier woodcarving show in South Texas. The Show was held in several locations over the years. The Stenman’s have participated in every show for the past 26 years.
In 1998 the show was at the old McAllen Civic Center. It was a fantastic experience for them. When the Civic Center closed, the carving show moved to the Pharr Civic Center. The last number of years the show has been held at the Nomad Shrine Club. This year they have a brand-new venue.
The 39th annual Rio Grande Valley Woodcarvers Show will be held on January 17 and 18 in a brand-new location. The Rio Grande Valley Woodcarvers Show will be held at Brookhaven Event Center located at 404 E. Interstate 2, in Pharr (near Matt’s Lumber). It will be held on Friday, January 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, January 18, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There is a donation of $5 for the entry fee.
The new location will provide more space for woodcarving display tables. There is much better lighting and a clean, fresh new exhibit hall with an expanded area for the judged competition carvings to be displayed and enjoyed by the public.
Lunch will be available on site.
There will be high-quality carvings displayed by members of the carving community. The Tool Shop will provide a large array of carving tools and supplies for both beginner and more experienced carvers.
The highlight of the weekend is, as always, the carving competition. The event will have top carvers from across the Rio Grande Valley, the US and Canada. There will be entries from all types of carving disciplines – realistic carving, chip carving, caricature carving, pyrography, relief, bird, decoy, stylized carving, gourds, and bowls.
Come join the fun. Better yet, enter a piece in the competition.
This years competition will be judged by Tony Dill and Jim Trumpy. Both are highly respected artists and carvers known to all Rio Grande Valley woodcarvers.
Another event by the RGV Woodcarvers is the Rally on the Rio. The Rally on the Rio will be held January 20 through January 25. The event will feature seminars and classes.
In 1999, The Rally on the Rio classes were added to the show event. The six days of carving classes have been taught by some of best carving instructors from around the United States. This large event was conceived of and organized by several local Texan and Winter Texan woodcarvers, including Margaret and Jack Caywood, Elaine and Toby Craft and many others.
Classes will be held at the Brookhaven Event Center. This will provide a comfortable, well-lit and spacious area for everyone attending the classes. There will be an outstanding group of instructors scheduled to teach at the 2025 Rally on the Rio. Classes are open to the public and are available for beginners to expert carvers. Registration is required.
Instructors include Tony Dill, Karen Huston, Lise LaFond, Brenda Lodermeier, Robert Rangel, Adair Rucker, Patty Rucker, Fred and Elaine Stenman, Jim Trumpy, George Vaughn, and Rich Wetherbee.
You can check out all the details at www.rgvwoodcarvers.org or email rgvwcnmutts@gmail.com.
