A group of 55 retirees in Sun City Center brought home 61 awards from two statewide competitions this year, carving basswood blocks into detailed figures with hand chisels and gouges. Now they want to teach South Shore neighbors how to do it.
The SCC Woodcarvers Club swept the Southwest Florida Wood Art Exposition and Competition in Punta Gorda in January, winning 26 awards with 11 first-place finishes. A month later at the Florida State Fair in February, members collected 35 more awards, again with 11 first-place ribbons, according to master carver Fred Joest, who tracks the club's competition results.
"This year we won 26 awards in Punta Gorda — 11 of them first place — and 35 awards at the state fair, including another 11 first place," Joest told the Observer News.
The Florida State Fair's Creative Living competitions confirmed Wood Arts as a category in 2026, with more than 4,000 total entries. The club enters both competitions annually.
Free lessons every Friday
Every Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, a master carver opens the club's workshop at 917 North Course Lane in Sun City Center for free beginner lessons. No experience required. New carvers can borrow a starter kit of hand tools for their first couple of weeks before buying their own.
Club president Punky Fedora said the sessions are open to anyone curious about the craft. The club's four instructors teach six styles: open, caricature, soapstone, chip, bark and relief carving.
Jean Johnson, a master carver who has taught woodcarving for decades, leads many of those beginner sessions. She told the Observer News that the wood speaks to her as she carves, which is what keeps her teaching newcomers how to use gouges and knives on their first projects.
How to join
Full membership costs $20 a year and is open to Sun City Center Community Association residents and Kings Point residents with a gold card. Members get daily access to the workshop from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and equipment including band saws, scroll saws, sanders and a drill press.
South Shore residents outside those communities can still drop in for a free Friday lesson to try the craft, though full membership is limited to SCC Community Association and Kings Point gold card holders.
Beyond Fridays, members gather Thursdays at 9 a.m. for open carving sessions where they collaborate on projects and share techniques. Occasionally, internationally recognized carvers visit for special classes.
Upcoming at the workshop
- Thursdays, 9 a.m. Open carving session for members, 917 North Course Lane, Sun City Center
- Fridays, 9 a.m. to noon Free beginner lesson with a master carver, same location
- Contact: Punky Fedora, 417-299-3121
