2026 • March
MONTHLY HAPPENINGS
Club Meetings – March 2026
• Monday, March 2, 2026 – Monthly Club Meeting (First Monday)
• Monday, March 16, 2026 – Second Monthly Meeting (Third Monday)
• Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Saturday Workshop
• Saturday, March 28, 2026 (4th Saturday) (Fourth Saturday)
• Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• Our second “Workshop Meeting” of the year
Meeting Agenda Highlights
• Financial Report: Presented by Ralph Cooper
• Business Meeting to follow
• Knife Drawing Raffle at the first Monday meeting
2026 Club Dues
• $25 per individual
• $35 per family
If you have not yet paid your 2026 dues, please do so as soon as possible.
Show & Tell – First Monday of Each Month
At our first Monday meeting each month, please bring any new carvings completed since the last Show &
Tell.
Ralph will photograph them for the club website.
Hopefully we’ll have a batch of gnomes ready and perhaps a stick topper or two to be photographed!2026 Ohio Valley Wood Carvers Expo
We’re excited to announce that the 2026 Ohio Valley Woodcarvers Expo will take place on
September 26-27, 2026.
• Coordinator: Jim Provins has kindly agreed to serve as the expo coordinator. In the coming weeks, Jim will
reach out to each club member to enlist your help in making this event a success.
• Our approach: By spreading the many tasks across numerous volunteers, we ensure that no single person is
overburdened—just as the old saying reminds us, “many hands make light work.”
• How to get involved: The show application will soon be live on the club website. We encourage all
members to submit their applications early so they can be sure to get a table for the expo.
The location for the Expo will once again be at the Newport Elks building in Cold Spring, Kentucky.
The Expo we have commitments from both Bob Statlander and Dick Belcher as vendors at the show.
Let’s work together to create a memorable expo for the entire woodcarving community!
Community & Outreach
This month I have had great interest in the cancer research Hearts of Hope program. I would like your
support make this a yearly program similar to our Christmas Ornament program. We have developed an
ornament to carve and sell as a cancer awareness themed ornament. A portion of the proceeds (I propose
50%) will be donated to cancer research organizations.
There are more than a dozen cancers represented by ribbon colors—many of us know someone who has
been affected one of these cancers. I will bring a color chart for the various cancers for coordination to this
month’s meetings.
Christmas Ornament Project
It’s never too early to start carving Christmas ornaments!
Ralph Cooper has blanks ready—just let him know and he’ll bring them to a meeting.Club Projects
Saturday Workshops – “Carving Workshop Day”
Saturday, March 28, our fourth-Saturday meetings will officially become our second Carving Workshop
meeting.
March Workshop Topic: Using AI to create and enhance your carvings
This workshop will focus on:
• Basic introduction of the AI platforms
• Demonstrations of their use on previous projects
• A sample project development
Please bring an open mind to this meeting it will e very enlightening. Ralph Cooper will present a PowerPoint
session on using AI to generate carving ideas, focusing on:
• ChatGPT
• Midjourney AI
He’ll share concept development examples and finished pieces contributed by club members to show how AI
can spark creativity.
March Club Project – Walking Stick Topper continued
Monday, Ralph Cooper will be on hand to give guidance, suggestions for improvement and general heckling
for the project pieces.FUTURE HAPPENINGS
Miami Valley Wood Carvers Annual Show
Dates: March 7–8
We’d love to see RVWC members at the MVWC Show to cheer on our sister club and support our fellow
RVWC members who will be staffing their tables at the event.
Current staffing for the RVWC table:
SATURDAY
Robin Hahn
John Nealon
SUNDAY
Robin Hahn
Candy Lytle
Help wanted: We’re still looking for additional volunteers for the club table. More hands will let us schedule
shorter, 4-hour shifts, making it easier for everyone to participate.
If you’re able to lend a hand—or simply want to stop by and show your support—please let us know. Your
involvement makes a big difference!
Miami Valley Wood Carving Show
• Saturday, March 7: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Sunday, March 8: 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM
• Competition Entry: Friday evening, March 6
RVWC has already reserved a club table.
More information:
http://miamivalleywoodcarvers.com/index.php/annual-show/
Please consider supporting our sister club.“The 4th Cut” Saturday Workshop
• Saturday, April 25, 2026
• 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Candy Lytle will present a hands on carving class teaching techniques for creating lips. Candy will focus on
both closed mouth and open mouth with teeth in her favorite medium the female face. If we hassle her
enough she probably get her to do a mouth with a real cowboy mustache also.
Guest Instructor – Bruce Henn
• May 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 2026
• Three-Day Instruction Cost: $160
Bruce will provide expert carving instruction and sell rough-outs for class use.
Minimum of 8 participants required (currently 5 signed up with up to 15 maximum).
More info:
• Caricature Carvers of America member
If you have an interest email, call or I will have a signup sheet at Mondays meetings. We currently have 5
people signed up and I plan to open it to the Miami Valley club during their show if we do not fill any open slots
before the Miami Valley show.
Buckeye Woodcarvers Roundup
• July 15–18, 2026
• Poor Farmers Campground
7211 Lostcreek-Shelby Rd, Fletcher, OH 45326
Phone: 937-368-2449
Contact Barb Foster: 937-214-0790
Website: www.buckeyewoodcarversroundup.com
A fantastic opportunity to learn, observe, and connect with fellow carvers and instructors.Ohio Valley Woodcarving Expo
• Saturday, September 26: 10:00 AM –4:00 PM
• Sunday, September: 27 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Competition Entry: Saturday morning, September 26
• Newport Elks (Cold Spring, Ky)
Contact: Jim Provins: ( jrprovins@gmail.com)513.312.3640
Website: Home – River Valley Wood Carvers
PAST HAPPENINGS
I’d like to thank Jim Provins for delivering a thorough audit of the 2025 RVWC financial records. All of Jim’s
questions have been addressed, and I’ve implemented a few changes to our record-keeping procedures to
further strengthen the process. – Ralph Cooper, Treasurer
The first workshop Saturday was well attended and I would like to thank everyone for their insights and
participation
MISCELLANEOUS
Be sure to visit the club website and check out the latest updates.
A heartfelt thank you to Ron Gabelman for keeping everything fresh and up to date.
Additional club agenda
Jim Provins had a discussion with Dick Belcher about the OVWC Expo. During that discussion Dick offered
his services to teach a one day knife sharpening class, a two day flat plane relief carving class, or a one day
face study stick carve. If you have an interest in any of these subjects please email me, call me or talk to me
at a meeting.
