JANUARY 8, 2025 www.wintertexantimes.com 20 WINTER TEXAN TIMES The 39th annual Rio Grande Valley Woodcarvers Show will be held on January 17 and 18 in a brand-new location. The Rio Grande Valley Woodcarvers Show will be held at Brookhaven Event Center located at 404 E. Interstate 2, in Pharr (near Matt’s Lumber). It will be held on Friday, January 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, January 18, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There is a donation of $5 for the entry fee. The new location will provide more space for woodcarving display tables. There is much better lighting and a clean, fresh new exhibit hall with an expanded area for the judged competition carvings to be displayed and enjoyed by the public. Lunch will be available on site. There will be high-quality carvings displayed by members of the carving community. The Tool Shop will provide a large array of carving tools and supplies for both beginner and more experienced carvers. The highlight of the weekend is, as always, the carving competition. The event will have top carvers from across the Rio Grande Valley, the US and Canada. There will be entries from all types of carving disciplines – realistic carving, chip carving, caricature carving, pyrography, relief, bird, decoy, stylized carving, gourds, and bowls. Come join the fun. Better yet, enter a piece in the competition. This years competition will be judged by Tony Dill and Jim Trumpy. Both are highly respected artists and carvers known to all Rio Grande Valley woodcarvers. Another event by the RGV Woodcarvers is the Rally on the Rio. The Rally on the Rio will be held January 20 through January 25. The event will feature seminars and classes. In 1999, The Rally on the Rio classes were added to the show event. The six days of carving classes have been taught by some of best carving instructors from around the United States. This large event was conceived of and organized by several local Texan and Winter Texan woodcarvers, including Margaret and Jack Caywood, Elaine and Toby Craft and many others. Classes will be held at the Brookhaven Event Center. This will provide a comfortable, welllit and spacious area for everyone attending the classes. There will be an outstanding group of instructors scheduled to teach at the 2025 Rally on the Rio. Classes are open to the public and are available for beginners to expert carvers. Registration is required. Instructors include Tony Dill, Karen Huston, Lise LaFond, Brenda Lodermeier, Robert Rangel, Adair Rucker, Patty Rucker, Fred and Elaine Stenman, Jim Trumpy, George Vaughn, and Rich Wetherbee. You can check out all the details at www.rgvwoodcarvers.org or email rgvwcnmutts@gmail.com. WOODCARVERS From pg. 1 Each year the event hands out free t-shirts while supplies last. There will also be free hot dogs, free admission, free parking, and free fun. Dustin says, this is just one way to show appreciation to the Winter Texan community each year, as well as others in the community. This is an event where there is something for everyone. There will be games, door prizes, tents full of vendors, and music. Everyone has fun, and people usually end up dancing in the open area in between eating, walking through the tents, and touring the many RVs and boats on the lot. One big prize will be given away each day. Main prizes will be winner’s choice of a Bad Boy Mower, a HiSun ATV, or a cargo trailer. Winners are announced at the end of each day. You must be present to win. Dustin invites everyone to come out and see the enormous selection of RVs, boats, and more. On site there will be special sales, including a flea-market sale on all the extras Ron Hoover has collected throughout the year. These items include parts, hitches, household items, and more. All items will be sold at bargain, cash and carry style. This is your chance to get some stuff ridiculously cheap. There will also be factory reps there, said Dustin, helping with deals and trades. He added that there will be more reps on hand than ever before, and the “lowest interest rate in three years, and the pricing on RVs we haven’t seen in five years.” This is a great opportunity for attendees to check out their RV units in stock and see deals on 2024 inventory. A couple of new items will be there this year. There will be a money machine for free money grabs. There will also be Bingo games – “that should be fun.” Attendees participating will be playing for prizes and money raised will be donated to a local non-profit. As with previous year, Ron Hoover has partnered with a local non-profit to support. Vendors fees for the event will be going directly to this organization. The last few years, the event has helped raise over $25,000 for the South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association. Ron Hoover RV & Marine Center is located at 101 Expressway 83 in Donna (on the south side of the expressway). Parking will be available along North Ave. behind Ron Hoover. Golf cart shuttling will be provided on both days. If you’re coming from the west, take the Main St. exit. If you’re coming from the east, take the Hutto exit. RON HOOVER From pg. 1 You can find books and more at the RGV Woodcarver Show. Photo by Henry Miller There was plenty to view in 5th wheel trailers and sleek boats at the Ron Hoover annual open house in Donna last year. Photo by Herb Moering
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