Published: May 25, 2008 09:11 pm      

Chain saw artists help sculpt successful 2008 Mountain Festival

BLUEFIELD — The carvers participating in the 2008 Cole Chevrolet Mountain Festival Carving Invitational were busy applying the final touches to their three-day masterpiece sculptures, but the crew of the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce were in a playful mood as the festival moved closer to a successful conclusion.

Lisa Huff, chair-elect of the chamber board of directors, led a group that included herself and four other ladies she dubbed “The Chamber Chicks,” as they do-wop danced to the sounds of the karaoke contest taking place in the grassy area between the chamber’s festival headquarters and the Eudora Farms exotic animals tent.

In addition to Huff, the do-wop dancers included Sharon Borish, vice president and manager of the New People’s Bank in Bluefield, Va., Debbie Maynard, Bluefield Chamber vice president, along with Karen DeHaan and Beth Nelson, both administrative assistants of the chamber.

“I can’t say enough about the chamber staff and volunteers and how they all work together to make the Mountain Festival a success,” Kyle Hurt, festival general chairman said. “For a chamber our size and the staff we’ve got — I would put it up against any chamber anywhere in the United States as far as their ability to pull something like this together. We’re very fortunate to have the Echo Carving Series with us this year. It brought a lot of interest to the show.”

Zoe Boni of Ridgeway, Pa., won first place honors at the show with a sculpture she titled, “Almost Heaven.” Boni won a $1,500 cash prize, a CS-400 Echo chain saw and qualified for a slot in the 2008 Echo Carving Championship this fall in Albuquerque.

“I had no idea what I was going to carve when I arrived here Thursday night,” Boni. 28, said. “I was talking with Ken Tynan at the motel the night before we started, and he encouraged me to go to my strength and carve foxes and herons. All of these carvers are really great artists. Ken helped whip out an idea, Jeff Samudosky lent me his scaffolding and my boyfriend, Chad (Liegey) was right there every step of the way and Mark Colp told me: ‘It’s not the carver. It’s the carving that wins.’ Everyone helped make this a great carving.”

Bob King of Edgewood, Wash., reigning two-time Echo Carving Series champion won second place, a $1,375 cash prize, a CS-370 chain saw and qualified for the carving series championship with the sculpture he titled: “Forging Ahead in West Virginia;” Mark Colp, of Lakeport, Calif., won third place and received $1,250 and a CS-330MX chain saw for his work: “West Virginia Backwoods;” Jason Emmons of Branchville, Ind., placed fourth, winning $1,100 for his masterpiece titled: “Guests at Suppertime;” Dayton Scoggins of Sandersville, Miss., earned $1,000 for his fifth place finish with his work: “Don’t Mess with Momma;” Mike Bihlmaier of Marengo, Ill., received $1,000 for his sixth place finish “Morning Stretch;” Jeff Samudosky of Columbia, Conn., received $1,000 for his seventh place finish with a work he called: The Last Pack;” and Ken Tynan of Des Moines, Iowa, won $1,000 for his eighth place finish with a Sasquatch-looking work he titled: “The First Mountaineer.”

“I am really proud that we have been able to host this carving series here as part of this year’s Cole Chevy Mountain Festival,” Randy Deason, chairman of the chamber board of directors said. “This event brought a whole new dimension to the festival and brought a lot of people to the festival who probably never came to the festival before.

“I would like to say just one thing about Zoe’s creation,” Deason said. “I’m really happy for her. She is already a talented artist and her artistic ability really came through in the masterpiece sculpture she created.”

“We’ve been very, very pleased with all of the events and especially pleased with the response we’ve received from the Echo Carving Series,” Marc Meachum, president and chief executive officer of the Bluefield Chamber said. “The people who were able to purchase one of the carvings got a once in a lifetime, one of a kind piece of art work. The carvers all seemed to enjoy their time here as well.”

Veteran local auctioneer and well-known grocer, Randle Grant, who has been auctioneering since 1976, commented on the quality of the workmanship in the chain saw sculptures he auctioned off both Saturday night and Sunday. “These are all museum-quality pieces,” he said. “I can’t imagine the opportunity the people who bought these works of art had here (Saturday and Sunday night).”

The 2008 Cole Chevy Mountain Festival Queen Rachel Stacy will make an appearance this morning at the Memorial Day Ceremony in Chicory Square and the final event of the Mountain Festival, the 2008 Mountain Festival Bowling Tournament will continue from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., today at Mountaineer Bowling Lanes.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com