WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE ROAD…
After many years of demonstrating my Carousel Carving in Public across our Nation, and for several years being accompanied by Carolyn selling her Creations, I have managed to collect and describe several of the usual reactions and responses by the observers of our efforts…these responses have been verified by innumerable Artisans and Crafts-people with whom we have shared venues.
VERBALS…
If I had a NICKEL for every time a person has uttered the following series of comments to me, I would, today, be “overly-wealthy.”
(After quietly watching the efforts of my handcarving):
“How long does it take you to carve one of your animals?”
“You should use a chainsaw. The carving would go faster!”
“Wow! That sure is a BIG block of wood!”
“What!?! That’s NOT a block? How many pieces are in it? Nahh, you’re lying!”
“The plastic animals are much easier to carve.”
“What a waste of time! Nobody does this anymore!”
Similarly, nearly EVERY Artisan I have met across the years has told me that he/she has been offered the following responses:
“How much is this? What? The price tag is attached? Where?”
“ I can get one of these for a lot cheaper at Walmart!”
“My Grandma/Grandpa/Aunt/Uncle/Mother/Father/Cousin/Friend used to make these.”
“This is really nice. I love it. I’ll be back later to buy it.”
“Who made this? Did YOU make this? No way! YOU didn’t make this!”
TOUCHY, FEELY…
Of course, there’s always those individuals who simply cannot refrain from touching “stuff.”
I truly have “appreciated” (yeah, RIGHT!) those individuals who have , apparently, decided to wander around the festivals after having imbibed freely and considerably. After my first encounter with one of these folks (usually later middle-aged gentlemen), I made the decision to increase my business insurance GREATLY. Here’s the picture…
The somewhat intoxicated guy stands and watches me, without speaking, for several minutes…all the time while swaying to some unheard music. Then, he stumbles forward to my carving table, quickly grabs one of my carving tools, and runs his fingers over the razor-sharp edge of the tool! He blurts out:
“Hey, is this tool sharp?!? YIPES (or usually a stronger utterance), I guess it IS!”
Then, of course, we have the “adult” relative, who encourages the accompanying child or two to do the same:
”Feel the tools! Be careful, they might be sharp!”
Finally, this category of visitors includes the vast number of individuals who, after picking-up a piece of the Artist’s creations, does the following:
(Tap…Tap…Tap)
“Is this glass/ceramic/porcelain? Will it break? Oh, OOPS!!! Sorry, I didn’t know it would BREAK!”
STANDING ON THE CORNER…
As described in Part One of this reminiscence, EVERY Artisan and Craftsperson who has participated in public festivals or venues will tell you that, in these types of environments, one is ALWAYS at the mercy of the Elements of Nature. Carolyn and I can , truly, MORE than verify this fact.
Perhaps, one of the events in which we participated is, undoubtedly, the one which we remember the most for being at Nature’s mercy.
We were invited years ago to participate in a historical event in nearby Mercer, PA. As participants, we were required to dress in the garb of folks who lived in the early to mid-19th Century. Moreover, our hairstyles, etc., MUST also reflect that era.
SO…we engaged the efforts of a regional seamstress to create our costumes for the event…HAND-CREATE…yep, the expense was quite memorable! I grew my hair and moustache even longer than normal; Carolyn had her hair coiffed and cut to represent the accuracy of the required time period.
We altered our display to a time appropriate presentation.
We were all set!
When we arrived at the site to set-up in the early morning hours of the festival first day, we were directed to our space on the curbside of the road alongside the northern edge of the historic Mercer County Courthouse…right on top of a drainage/storm drain!
NO PROBLEM! We had been in locations worse than this. NOPE!!!!
As the morning progressed, the storm approached, and settled overhead in Mercer. Torrential downpour! The drain backed-up, over-filled, and swamped our feet, ankles, and thighs! The wind forced us to try to hold our “tent” down with our hands…we couldn’t attach it to the concrete ground in any way, and were not permitted to use concrete blocks tied to the tent poles (Concrete blocks did NOT exist at that time…or, so we were told).
The tent blew down…our display was destroyed, along with Carolyn’s Artwork. My animal was drenched; my tools, days later, showed the shadows of rust. Our costumes were ruined beyond repair.
After the storm passed, we decided to clean-up, pack-up our stuff, and head for home. As we cleaned and packed, we were approached by one of the event organizers.
“What are you doing? You aren’t LEAVING, are you? You know if you do, you will NEVER be invited back again!”
SO BE IT!!!
Over the decades of our travels, we have encountered hurricanes in North Carolina, tornadoes out West, innumerable storms, flash floods, etc. GIVE UP…NEVER!
AND YET…
The eras of my and Carolyn’s festival participations and Public demonstrations have more than overflowed with Blessings, kindness, and positive experiences and memories.
While demoing at Conneaut Lake Park years ago, I was approached by yet another elderly matron who, after watching my carving, asked to touch my hands. As I complied with her request, she passed to me an image of Christ upon which she had written a message which I hold MORE than precious every day.
Countless folks have, as I have mentioned, shared experiences, memories, and much, much more with us.
I have frequently been described as one of the last, if not the last, handcarver of Carousel animals in our great Nation…using no electrical tools…carving in the method from 1865-1917. As such, I have been much blessed with the role of keeping alive this aspect of our History.
This role has led me through the byways of an INCREDIBLE JOURNEY…one which has included serving the Commonwealth in several capacities, and serving our regional health-related venue(s) in aspects I could NEVER have imagined.
THE ROAD GOES EVER ON…
Without going into detail, as many know, I have, over the past year, experienced several life-threatening health experiences. I’m still here!!! It’s been termed “a Miracle.”
We NEVER know exactly WHY we exist…the reasons are beyond our immediate comprehension.
I’ve learned not to ask why…
Why I became a Carousel Carver…
Why I do what I do as an Art Director…
Why I’m still alive…
I was told a few months ago, that my Journey would include new and meaningful future experiences.
One of those experiences I have already committed to being a part of…begins in October.
I have agreed to be the Art Teacher for the MLK SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM in Meadville. What a TRUE HONOR, and one which I could not have imagined.
Although, as I stood near the Lincoln Memorial that day back in the ‘70s and listened to his words, the concept of I HAVE A DREAM entered and grasped my Spirit…It has never left.
Maybe, just maybe, all the steps, and trials, festivals, carving demonstrations, and MORE leads to this next step along the way.
YEP, after pondering it all, I now realize that the TRAILS have been, indeed, HAPPY all the Time.