SMALL TOWNS: Princeton wood carving club brings people together through craft

PRINCETON, Wis. (WBAY) — A love for wood carving has led to a weekly gathering at Princeton’s American Legion Hall, where the Wood Wizards Carving Club meets every Tuesday morning.

87-year-old Mario DeStefanis is the club’s most veteran carver, joining 20 years ago.

“I saw an ad in one of the local flyers, and I said to my wife, ‘I’m going to go down there and just see what it’s like,’” DeStefanis said. “I came and saw somebody I knew, and he handed me knife and a piece of wood and here we are.”

DeStefanis said his Mondays are spent preparing for his favorite day of the week. His carving supplies include utensils, a protective glove and wood.

“I’ve always worked with my hands,” DeStefanis said.

Fellow member Harlan Barkley said he and DeStefanis arrive between 8:00 and 8:15 Tuesday mornings and carve until 11 or later. With just seven members, the club maintains an informal atmosphere.

“Very, very informal,” Barkley said. “We’ll have guys that come and don’t even feel like carving that day, and they’ll just sit around a chat. There’s no pressure. It’s fun.”

Barkley said the club shares patterns, wood, and knowledge among members. He hopes others will join them at the American Legion Hall in Princeton.

Gary Hazelburg is the group’s newest member. Looking for activities during retirement, he joined on a whim after his lifelong interest in woodworking and carving.

“It’s kind of nervous when you first walk in, because you don’t know these people, but they’re so welcoming. They really made me feel welcome as the new member in the group,” Hazelburg said. “It’s nice to see what other people do, some of the different tools they use, the sanding blocks and things like that, the way they do things.”

The club’s projects include personal, passion pieces and community service items. DeStefanis won a first-place blue ribbon in a carving club contest with one of his pieces.

Members also create handheld crosses to share with hospice patients across northeast Wisconsin.

“The crosses and things like that, it’s meaningful to do something like that and it adds a lot to it,” Hazelburg said.

DeStefanis said the community impact makes the work worthwhile.

“It’s amazing how it would change a person’s attitude,” DeStefanis said. “To do something for somebody else, and when this lady from the hospice tells us they have people who are not really doing too well and what a little cross like that can do for them as far as making them feel a little better and a little consolation with their issues, it makes it all worthwhile.”

Anyone is welcome to join the club.

“Just having new people come in and really fun is if they come in and have no experience and we can help them get started and learn a hobby they can enjoy the rest of their life if they want to,” Barkley said.

Those interested in joining are encouraged to show up to the American Legion Hall in Princeton on Tuesday mornings at 8.