EUREKA SPRINGS -- Twenty-one woodcarvers fired up their chain saws at 9 a.m. Friday after lightning caused an hour's delay at the beginning of the 13th annual Carving in the Ozarks competition.
Heavy rain continued to fall, but many of the carvers had set up tents to shield them from the deluge.
"I like the rain," said T.J. Jenkins of Kansas City, Mo. "I just don't like my feet getting wet. When it's raining, you don't want to leave your tent because it's wet outside. It's dry right in the middle of your tent. The only problem is your feet still get wet."
Steve Higgins, also of Kansas City, Mo., said the rain doesn't bother him. He's originally from Washington state, where some cities average more than 100 inches of rain each year.
"Mildew is our natural flower," he said.
Higgins said he would use a propane torch to scorch the moisture off the surface of the log he was working on as soon as the rain let up.
But he didn't get the chance Friday.
With another round of heavy thunderstorms and lightning coming in around noon, the Eureka Springs Fire Department shut down the competition for the rest of the day.
"We felt like there was just enough lightning coming the rest of the afternoon that we just went ahead and called it," said Jim Kelley, assistant fire chief.
Many of the tents had metal poles, he noted.
The Fire Department sponsors the event, which will resume at 8 a.m. today.
Chain saw artists from eight states have converged on Eureka Springs for the two-day competition.
Mike Teague, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tulsa said the Eureka Springs area got 1.94 inches of rain between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Friday, and he expected another half inch to three-quarters of an inch Friday night.
Today there will only be a scant amount of rainfall and a high of about 52 degrees, Teague said.
For three hours on Friday morning, a chorus of chain saws hummed as the carvers worked on their art. Most of the carvers had netting around their carving areas so wood chips wouldn't fly out and hit spectators. Many of the artists had carvings on display and for sale.
Carvers started with logs of no more than 5 feet long and 2 feet in diameter, in accordance with the competition rules.
Animals and other forms were just starting to emerge from the logs when the rain put a stop to things.
"This is an owl chasing a rabbit," Keith Gregory, a carver from Willard, Mo., said of a log he was working on.
David and Beverly Blankenship started the festival. They own Sleepy's Cabin Decor, a store that sells log furniture and rustic decor.
Three years ago, the Blankenships gave the event to the Eureka Springs Fire Department to use as a fundraiser.
Kelley said the fire department cleared about $6,000 from the festival last year, and that included more than $1,000 in donations from local businesses.
The Friday winner last year brought a bid of $1,450, while Saturday's winner sold for a bid of $1,100.
Instead of ending at 3 p.m. today as planned, the event will continue until 4 p.m. today. That will give the carvers another hour to work on their pieces.
At 5 p.m. today, the carvings will be auctioned off to the general public.
Kelley said the Fire Department and artists split the winning bids.
In addition to auction proceeds, six cash prizes are awarded, three apiece on Friday and Saturday: $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place. Those awards are given based on the prices the carvings fetch at auction.
Since carvers didn't get a chance to finish their artwork on Friday, Kelley said organizers might extend the competition for half a day on Sunday to give the carvers a chance to complete the work they started on Friday.
If that's the case, then there will be another auction held on Sunday, Kelley said. A time for that auction hadn't been determined as of late Friday.
More information is available at eurekaspringsfire.org/carving-in-the-ozarks.html.
Metro on 04/22/2017