More than 60 carvers will travel to Ridgway this weekend to set up a booth at the annual Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous.
Artisans will be set up around the Elk County Courthouse Thursday through Saturday for the event, held by the Appalachian Arts Studio.
“There are so many cool things about the Rendezvous. When the event was first started, it was just a small gathering of friends and family looking to pass time in the winter,” said event spokesman Isaac McDaniel.
“As more and more people were invited and started coming to Ridgway, word about this strange idea of making art with chainsaws spread, too,” he said. “It’s a very unorthodox medium and method to create art, but we love it.”
And spread it has.
Joining the 30 carvers from Pennsylvania will be two from Canada, one from Germany and one from the United Kingdom, according to McDaniel. The rest are making the journey from other U.S. states to share their craft.
Activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each of the three days.
“We have four Quick Carve Demonstrations; two on Friday and two on Saturday,” said McDaniel. “Carvers start with a plain log and have the allotted time of less than one hour to make something from it. Multiple carvers participate at the same time so they feed off of each other’s energy as well as the energy from the crowd.”
Some carvers may opt to sell their quick carve piece after the demonstrations. While each carver accepts different forms of payment, he said most now take credit or debit cards.
“Carvers are happy to assist in loading up any purchased piece,” he added.
Attendees will also hear music from Guitar Club and Nick Forsythe, and there will be craft and food vendors, said McDaniel.
The Rendezvous organizers are happy to share the event weekend with another local happening — the Ridgway YMCA Triathlon — and will honor longtime Ridgway resident/triathlon founder Dave Love.
Love will be honored “with a collaborative totem pole carving,” McDaniel explained. “After the Rendezvous, the pole will be installed near the Clarion-Little Toby Rail Trail trailhead, which Dave was instrumental in helping in its conversion from a rail line to recreational trail.”
Registration for the triathlon will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the courthouse, and the race will begin at 11 a.m.
