2026 Officers. Click to see the list.

PRESIDENT: Bob Kehl
VICE PRESIDENT: Ken Morgan
SECRETARY: Lorin Jensen
TREASURER: Claudia Fernandes
EDITOR: Mike Pocha, Dave Boles
CCG ADVISOR: Dave Boles
CCG REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Dave Boles
SHOW CHAIRPERSON: Kurt Alfred
WEB MASTER: Carol Salinger

From The Pres By Bob Kehl

Annual Oakhurst Rendezvous Recap

Reports from the TVC members who attended the Annual Oakhurst Rendezvous last month revealed that everyone had an enjoyable experience. This year, Ngam Worley demonstrated a strong enthusiasm for teaching by leading a class on pyrography at the event. According to Ngam, the class was exceptionally successful, attracting many participants, largely because everyone was able to complete a finished project. Congratulations to Ngam for her achievement! Overall, attendees had a wonderful time and benefited greatly from the event.

Forest Home Hills Sheep Shearing Event

Last month, the club was once again invited to participate in the annual Forest Home Hills sheep shearing event in San Ramon. The event saw a great turnout, with numerous families in attendance. As part of the heritage arts presentations—which also included spinning wool and blacksmithing—I demonstrated woodcarving. For the display, I brought along my movable toys and animal 3D puzzles. Throughout the day, teens frequently competed to see who could reassemble the puzzles after mixing up the pieces, with some competitions lasting more than 20 minutes and parents timing the activity. The event was engaging and enjoyable for all involved.

Youth Woodcarving with Castro Valley 4H

This school year, Ken Morgan and Bob Kehl have dedicated much of their time to teaching woodcarving to the Castro Valley 4H group. The students have been producing impressive woodcarving projects. To give their efforts greater visibility, we are assisting with admissions logistics and costs so the projects can be entered into the Alameda County Fair. Several students plan to participate—provided they can complete their projects in time. This process mirrors the experience of many TVC members with their own projects. The young carvers are excited, and we hope this initiative encourages sustained involvement in the Fair’s Youth Woodcarving program.

Alameda County Fair Participation

The deadline to submit your entry online for the Alameda County Fair is May 13th. Project drop-off dates are scheduled for May 27th through May 30th, so now is the time to prepare your entries. The Fair’s theme this year is “Celebrate Summer,” which means we should also consider how our club’s display can reflect this theme. While our traditional red, white, and blue backdrop should work well, we should discuss featuring a central, representative woodcarving piece along with our best works. Let’s brainstorm ideas to make our cabinet display truly stand out. Once again, we will be demonstrating woodcarving at the Fair and distributing show brochures to visitors. A signup list for volunteer demonstrators is available from Bob Kehl. Be sure to add your name to the list to ensure you receive complimentary Fair entry and parking tickets, and to find out who your “Carving Buddy” will be for your scheduled time slot.

Zoom sessions every Mon at 7-8 pm.

Zoom Meeting

CALENDAR 2026

17th Annual Oakhurst Rendezvous, 2026	April 19 – 25
Sheep Shearing Day, Forest Farms Historic Park, San Ramon	April 25
Alameda County Fair, Pleasanton	June 19 – July 12
Tri-Valley Carvers Annual Woodcarving Show	September 12-13. Set up on September 11.

The Last Word

Another month comes around and I still hope you’ve read this far. As previously mentioned we’re in the process of updating and hopefully improving our website and our newsletter. Please be patient, and it wouldn’t hurt to hear a few more of our members asking “What can I do to help?“

Let us know if you liked this Tri-Valley Carvers’ newsletter. Also, what would you like to see in our future newsletters? And have you ever seen a strawberry duck? Please let us know in the comments below.