Subscribe to the Florida_Woodcarvers_Roundup newsletter powered by Yahoo Groups. Get class and schedule email updates as soon as they are available!!
The Annual Woodcarvers Roundup in Florida
is held the last week in March. Below is general information about the roundup and the activities, which occurred during the 2009 Roundup. The 2010 Roundup is expected to occur 24-28 March 2010 but we have not as yet recieved confimation from the State park. Join Yahoo groups above to get autoatic notice when we firm up the dates and location which should occurr soon, as well as class descriptions about 1 December 2009
The Roundup will be held at the Hillsborough River State Park, 15402 U.S. 301 North Thonotosassa, FL 33592. This is 12 miles north of Tampa and 7 miles south of Zephyrhills on Rt 301.
For a map click
here For State Park related questions #813-987-6771.
This is an educational opportunity with woodcarving classes as the main event. It is a no pressure, carefree carving event with very few guidelines. Take as many classes as you want to, or no classes at all, just come and carve along. If you would like to improve your skills, or would like to learn how to carve, come for a few quiet days of wood carvers getting together to have a great time cutting up!!!
Carving classes Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Non carving companions and visitors are welcome at anytime during the Roundup. Art, craft and quilting classes for non-carving companions may be available.
Instructors and classes - 2009 class descriptions HAVE been updated for all classes.
"Keep in mind when selecting a class that the objective should be to take classes from several different instructors during the roundup with the idea that you will learn many new techniques and skills vice coming home with all finished projects. Many of the projects offered as a one day class could take more than one day to complete but, in that day, you can learn the techniques needed to finish the project at your own pace. This is a great opportunity to see the instructors projects and sample their teaching techniques.
To see the class descriptions and a table showing who is teaching what & when
CLICK HERE.
Costs: there are three types of costs involved which are: the cost to get into the State Park (which you pay at the gate); the costs of Organizing the Roundup which is what you contribute to when you Register for the Roundup(donation of $20 for the 5 days or $5 a day); and the Class Costs which you pay directly to the instructors.
What is the cost of getting into the park?? If you are camping at the State Park it is $20 a day(or less if you are disabled or senior). If you are not staying at a campsite but commuting in each day it is $4 a car per day regardless of number of riders (up to 8 people in car @ $4 a car, so please car pool, it will help with the parking spaces also!). These fees are collected at the gate by the park ranger.
What are the costs of Organizing the Roundup? - Facilities (Canopies, etc.), Equipment (tables/chairs/coffee pots/extension cords), Supplies (Potluck dinner setups, hot dog night setups, pizza, coffee, water, sugar, filters, napkins),and Advertising. These costs are met with the moneys provided with your roundup registration donation. For the first two Roundups we tried various ways of raising that money during the roundup vice requesting it in advance - bottom line: it was too hard and a few were carrying the cost for many. See below paragraphs for Registration options.
What are the Class Costs - There is an "Instructional Fee and material costs which vary. These costs are paid directly to the instructor. Each class is different, see the class descriptions for specific fee/costs.
Registration Options We have two registration options: Pre-registration for all 5 days with a $20 donation -OR- daily registration when you arrive with a $5 donation.
Pre-registration for all 5 days with a $20 donation - Those that pre-register for all five days will still have the option to change classes (assuming there is open space in the class) up to 8:45 am each morning of the class start day. The 5 day Roundup Pre-registration donation of $20 includes participation in the Hot Dog Dinner night, Pizza Dinner night, and daily coffee. Consequently there will be no raffles, no constant hounding for additional donations etc. When you register for all 5 days in addition to entry to all evening activities, you will get 2 free tickets for the cane give away and door prizes. So it is your choice - is it worth a $20 donation to fully participate in the Roundup or not?
If you pre-register and later change your mind about which class you want to be in, just email Tony by 15 March and ask if you can swap classes or add a class to a day you left blank.
Daily registration with a $5 donation per day Many carvers will be able to commute from home and thus may chose to only come for a few days vice all 5 days (hereafter referred to as Day Trippers). Anticipating that many of these people will not decide to come until the last minute, we have established a daily registration donation of $5 per day. As it would be too confusing for us to accommodate last minute class assignments, there is no pre registration of classes for day trippers, just show up that day, get a special Day tripper ID (at our Roundup Registration tent, the ID must be turned in at the end of the day )and get in a class if space available. In 2007 a few classes were full each day, most were not, but we are expecting many more day trippers in 2008 so pre-registration is highly encouraged to ensure your class preference. Free coffee is available to DayTrippers daily. Day trippers may participate in evening meals and activities for an additional donation of $2 per night but won't get tickets for the cane give away as the lucky winner will most likely already have been selected.
Specific class material costs such as blanks, roughouts etc. are paid directly to the instructors. See the class descriptions for specific instructional fees and material costs -
CLICK HERE.
You can print a Roundup Registration Form in Adobe reader format
HERE.
Pre-registrations (this is the $20 for 5 day option). Pre-registrations will be accepted up to 15 March. After 15 March you can register and pay when you arrive. Pre-registrations will give the instructors and us a better idea of how many students to plan for. For you it will provide the confidence that you will get in the class of your choice even if you don't arrive until 9 am when the class starts. You don't actually have to select a class for each day, just the days you want to, perhaps you want some open days to sit in a class when space available. That is OK, send in your $20 and just indicate those class days you want too. You can change your classes by emailing Tony before 14 March.
Reminder- Saturday 14 March is the last day to mail your pre registrations- they MUST be postmarked on the 14th!! Tony leaves for the roundup and will NOT recieve any mail postmarked later! After that date, just show up early on the day of the class. most classes will still have openings.
Visitors, including those that just want to participate at the spit and whittle table and non-carving companions do not need to register or pre-register. Just those taking woodcarving related classes. If you want to have a visitor or non-carving companion at the evening meal please consider an additional donation at that time to help us cover the costs.
Class assignments will be made based on the postmark date of your pre-registration. We will send out acknowledgements of pre-registration and confirmation of your classes on 15 March if not before. Please provide an email address if you have one or a self addressed stamped envelope if no email address to facilitate this communications. Make Pre-registration check out to and mail to: L. Erickson, FWCR Registration,614 West Springwood Drive,
Seneca, SC 29672. Please note on check: SRWR2008DON >
Remember - Visitors and non-carving companions do not need to register. Just those taking woodcarving related classes.
Carving clubs are invited to display their work. Carving Clubs are invited to set up a display advertising their club and displaying carvings by their members. We ask that carving clubs bring their own 10x10 craft tent or pop-up and displays. There is no cost for a club to set up a display and participate in this way. Carving clubs interested MUST email Lucille at ynotony358@aol.com to request a space assignment.
Spit and Whittle area
- This will be a place to come and sit to tell stories, make chips, carve, show off or whatever. There will be no charge to participate at the Spit and Whittle area and there may be small projects provided by the volunteers to work on, or you can bring your own project to work on and perhaps some to share. There will be someone on hand during class hours so stop by and "Spit & Whittle". It will be located near the Club Display area such that the volunteers manning the Spit and Whittle table can observe the Club Display Tables and also provide some oversight of that area during class hours. Gail Fruehling is organizing the Spit and Whittle and if you would like to volunteer to help him in some way contact him at vfrueh@verizon.net
Questions - Jim O'Dea at jeodea@aol.com or Tony Erickson at ynotony358@aol.com
The Final, maybe, schedule of events:
Tuesday - 2pm - set up starts - help would be greatly appreciated
Wed - 8 am - Roundup starts with check-in for class schedules
Wednesday - any time during the day, pick up your cane segment carving contest blank at the Spit & Whittle table.
Wed - 9 am - classes start
Wed - 6pm Hot Dog dinner in carving area, followed by spit and whittle and Round Robin carving event in the Rec Building
Thursday - 9am - classes start
Thursday - 6pm Pot Luck dinner at the carving area folowed by the TeamCarving Contest
Friday - 9am - classes start
Friday - noon - ladies luncheon
Friday - night -On your own for dinner- we suggest going to the Church spaghetti dinner between 5:15 and 6pm (see below)
Saturday - 9 am - classes start
Saturday - noon - Turn in your carving contest cane segments for judging at the Spit and Whittle table.
Saturday - 6pm - Pizza dinner at the park, followed by a trade blanket,and a musical jam session
Sunday - 9 am - classes start
Sunday classes followed by clean up and tear down whenever class is over.
The Roundup organizers are Tony and Lucille Erickson and Jim O'Dea. We will have a welcome table set up as you enter the carving class area from Parking Lot #3 (look for the Rec Building and go just beyond it. There you can find out what classes are being offered and when. You will also be asked to sign a "waiver of liability" and given a name badge that allows you to participate in the woodcarving classes. Visitors and non-carving companions are not required to register.
Once again we will request instructors participate in carving a block for a "Friendship Cane". Larry (BIG DOG) Yudis of
The Woodcraft Shop in Bettendorf, IA has donated the basswood blanks for the cane - Thanks Larry!! The cane will be sent to you if you are not there on the day we pull the winning name.
Non carving workshops and activities:
We are strongly encouraging non-carvers to self-organize activities for themselves. Activities such as Beginning Water Color Workshop, a painting class, a Gift Bag class and "field" trips have been accomplished in the past.
This year a quilting class is planned in the Rec Building. Contact Chris O'Dea at jeodea@aol.com to let her know you are interested. To find out specifics of the project and what to bring click here . There will also be a water painting class again this year
If you are volunteering to organize a non carving class or event and want that info posted on this web site let Jim know at jeodea @ aol . com. Non-carvers wanting to organize an activity have usually met at a picnic table near our Registration Tent to decide and implement there own activities for the day.
The Roundup will be held at the Hillsborough River State Park, 15402 U.S. 301 North Thonotosassa, FL 33592 phone #813-987-6771.
This is 12 miles north of Tampa and 7 miles south of Zephyrhills on Rt 301. For a map click
here
Non-campers have to pay the state park daily entrance fee of $4 per car load of up to 8 people per car to enter the State Park. So it pays to car pool!!! Park hours are 8am to sunset. You can go in and out of the park during the day, just get back in before sunset for evening social events. You can get out of the park after dark, just not in unless you are a camper.
Workshops start at 9 am and end about 4:30 pm with an hour for lunch. We will release the workshops on staggered time intervals for lunch to avoid jamming up the concession stand.
Please bring a chair for yourself. We will have 100 folding chairs available and some picnic table benches , but depending on the numbers of people that show up (we really don't know for sure until that day), we may run short of chairs or you may prefer a larger more comfortable chair (most people do!). So if you could bring your own chair please do so just in case. What we do have is a LOT of trees for shade, the pavilions, several canopies and lots of enthusiastic carvers.
We are also asking anyone that can to bring a table. We are not recieving as many picnic tables from the Pasrk service as we recieved last year. If you can bring any size folding table please do so.
Driving Directions:
Hillsborough River State Park is located 9 miles north of Tampa and 6 miles south of Zephyrhills on US Highway 301.
From I-75, Southbound from Ocala take the SR 54. Exit #279 east to Hwy 301, travel South for 6 miles, and the park will be on your right-hand side.
From I-75, Northbound from Tampa take the Fowler Ave. Exit #265 east to Hwy 301, travel North for 9 miles, and the park will be on your left-hand side.
From I-4, West bound take Exit 10 go north on CR 579 to US 301, follow the signs and go North 7 miles the park will be on your left-hand side.
From I-4, East bound take Exit 7 (be careful of the merges) and go North on US 301 for 14 miles, the park will be on your left-hand side
For information about the State Park and a link to make reservation for camping/RVs at the Park PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE MAKING YOUR CAMPSITE RESERVATIONS.
Other accommodations in area include motels, For a list Click here.
Instructors and classes For a list of instructors, class descriptions and a table showing who is teaching what & when click
HERE.
To see pictures of a typical Roundup settingclick here.
