EASTWOOD EXPO CENTER Intricate carvings showing in Niles

The Wood Carvers Show and Sale has something for everyone.
NILES -- You name it, and it was carved in wood at the Eastwood Expo Center on Saturday morning.
Animals? There were eagles, dogs, deer, fish, wolves and lots of other species, including characters from the movie "Shrek."
Vegetables? Yes, a few tomatoes and other edibles. And everything else from African masks to "Welcome" signs. And even the sacred, crucifixes and other church-related items; and the carnal, a girl in a skimpy bikini.
Woodcarvers from as far away as upstate New York filled nearly 90 tables at the Eastwood Expo Center with their work at the 19th annual Wood Carvers Show and Sale this weekend.
The event is one of a decreasing number of opportunities for artists who work in wood to show off their creations, said Bonnie Babcock of Niles, chairman of the event and a member of the Mahoning Valley Wood Carvers.
"There are some big shows in Dayton and Cincinnati, but a lot of the rest of them are falling by the wayside," she said. "We're still going strong."
Originality counts
Exhibitors at the event range from artisans who began by working in other artistic media to people who just wanted an indoor activity to pass the time during the winter months.
"I worked in construction all my life, and you don't work much in the winter time," said Ted Vagas of Boardman. "TV stinks, so it was a way to go down to my cellar and preserve my sanity."
Vagas' work has included creating altars for churches in Boardman and Youngstown.
The subject matter is as varied as the reasons for pursuing the hobby.
Many of the carvings of Don Wiggins, a retired iron worker from Warren, have historical references -- a fatigued-looking man with a shovel pauses from his work atop a pedestal with the letters WPA on it.
It's a reference to the Works Progress Administration, a Depression-era program which put Americans to work constructing public buildings and other facilities. In another, a man with a worried expression reads a newspaper which has the words "Wall Street" on it. Another is what Wiggins describes as a World War I gas mask bag in walnut.
"I carve a little bit of everything, but I especially like history," Wiggins said. "I almost feel like it's something I have to do."
And inspiration and originality counts for a lot in the competition phase of the shows, said Pat Babcock of Niles.
"Most of this has been done before by somebody else. If you can come up with some original ideas that's a big part of impressing the judges."
Best of Show
And that certainly held true for the overall winning entries in the Best of Show category.
Gary Proof of Mineral City took away the top honors for the fourth time, with a display that included intricately detailed carvings of 18th-century sailing ships.
"I've always loved ships and I think that if I had lived in that era that's what I would have done, gone to sea," said Proof, who grew up on the coast of Maine. He said he put 950 to 1,000 hours of work into each ship carving.
Second-place finisher Walt Nichols of New Haven, Ohio, attracted passers-by with a carving which included an electric motor and a little bit of optical illusion. The carving featured a face with lifelike eyes that appeared to follow the viewer around.
Bob Stadtlander of Wellsville, N.Y, placed third in the overall competition.
Nichols, who has been carving for 16 years, said his work was featured in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption," in which a character played by Tim Robbins created woodcarvings while in prison.
"It's the only time I've ever made money at this," he said.
Participants said that woodcarving can be an expensive hobby, and exhibitors at the show offered a variety of woodcarving and wood-burning merchandise. Items for sale ranged from drills, sanders, bits and saws to a variety of wood items, including eggs (from "pigeon" to "dinosaur"-sized).
The expo also offered classes from beginner-level to advanced, on topics including carving characters and intarsia, the process of inlaying other objects or materials onto wood.
The Wood Carvers Show and Sale continues today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and children are admitted free.