Indiana Woodcarvers Summer Camp

How did we get started? Indiana Woodcarvers Summer Camp was founded in 2009 by Marcia Yrineo. Marcia has attended the Evart Roundup in June since 2004 and enjoys it more each year. Our club was talking about what a great job that Sandy Holder and the Michigan Woodcarvers Association does in creating the Evart Roundup, and wishing we had one in Indiana. When I asked why there isn't one, Rod Beamish said, "Somebody has to step up to the plate." So I asked him, "If I step up to the plate...can I use your campground?" And he said, "Yeah." And that's how we began. (Sandy Holder designed our Cardinal logo for us! Thanks Sandy, for all you do for carvers everywhere!)

The Council Oak Woodcarvers Club (South Bend) and the Good Time Woodcarvers Club (Plymouth) support and host the event. The Council Oak Woodcarvers Club and the Indiana Woodcarvers Summer Camp promote and preserve woodcarving in the community and provide education on many forms and folk arts of woodcarving.

Where is the camp? Our Indiana Woodcarvers Summer Camp is very similar to a Roundup, except that it is located at Pla-Mor Campground - a family park in Bremen, Indiana. Click on tab above to go to the Pla-Mor Website and see photos of the campground. Note that the pricing you see on their website is NOT the price you will pay during Woodcarvers week. During the actual days of the event, registered woodcarvers pay just $20 per night (plus Indiana State Tax), regardless of which hookups you need.

Pla-Mor Campground has 560 campsites for tents up to the largest motorhomes, and everybody gets free WI-FI, a picnic table and fire ring, water and electricity, and sewer hookup if you need it. Pla-Mor has a camp store, snack bar, game room, swimming pond, fishing pond, playground, miniature golf, volley ball, batting cage, horseshoe pits, and a 250 yard driving range. It's a great place for a family vacation!

Who are the Instructors?

We have 30+ woodcarving instructors from across the United States, including CCA carvers and National Champions, as well as many other talented instructors. Many classes are free with the purchase of the wood blank. Some instructors may charge a fee. See the Instructors and Projects tab above for the 2011 list.

What is the structure of the Summer Camp? The format is very relaxed and based on the Round-Up format. We basically want you to have fun and learn to carve wood. Our mission is to provide you with quality instructors at reasonable prices, and to encourage the preservation of the various folk arts of woodcarving. Classes can last for one hour or take 4 whole days to complete. You decide what project you want to carve, and how long you want to stay with each instructor. You pay the instructor for the wood blank (blanks range from $3 to $35). Most seats are first come, first served. We welcome children and beginners as well as advanced carvers. We also provide crafts for the non-carvers, crafts for children, a pot luck dinner and entertainment.

We are happy to promote and provide links to other Roundups, like Michigan's Evart Roundup and Evart Spit & Whittle, the Florida Roundup, the Minnesota Carv-Fest, the Pennsylvania NorthEast Roundup, and the Ohio Buckeye Roundup.