(Photo Provided) From left, Geppetto Woodcarvers club members Ron Leisure, Marcia Holschuh and Rich Ward stand in front of the group’s 2025 Quilt Project, which will be displayed at WesBanco Bank in downtown Parkersburg this month.

From staff reports

PARKERSBURG — The Geppetto Woodcarvers club is displaying its 2025 Quilt Project at the downtown WesBanco Bank during March.

Most of the club members are self-taught or learned through one-on-one interaction and instruction with other club members. Founded in 1993, the group has developed an introductory manual for new woodcarvers.

The club teaches through projects at their formal monthly business meetings. Members work with a variety of wood carving styles and subjects. All types of wood are carved, with basswood being the predominant choice.

Members offer one-on-one instruction during the weekly Wednesday meetings at Woodcraft and at their bi-monthly meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings at the Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History.

Club members demonstrate and display at many events in the Mid-Ohio Valley, including the annual Carving on the Porch at Woodcraft.

Several club members have had juried displays at Tamarack Marketplace in Beckley.

Geppetto Woodcarvers has 37 members from the Mid-Ohio Valley and surrounding areas in West Virginia and Ohio.

“Club members range in age from 8 to 90 years,” said club secretary/treasurer Pat Wentzel. “Our community project is supporting the Salvation Army Angel Tree program through the sales of hand-carved Christmas ornaments by club members.”

This club project has resulted in providing Christmas gifts for over 35 local children and nearly $8,000 raised in ornament sales over the past 10 years.

“The purpose of the club is the promotion of woodcarving through the education of the club members and the general public,” Wentzel said. “The club will strive to keep alive the rich history of woodcarving. The club will foster a sense of purpose, community involvement and good fellowship through the support of the Club members.”

The 2025 Geppetto Woodcarver theme is “Critters.” The quilt is made up of 42 4-by-4-by-½-inch thick basswood blocks mounted in a display frame with seven rows of six blocks each. Each carver selected the subject and design of their block. The block is carved and finished using a variety of woodcarving and finishing techniques.

Members displaying carved quilt blocks for the WesBanco Exhibit are Betty Boot, Jennifer Carpenter, Lois Dye, Sharon Dye, Fred Esker, Larry Hershman, Roy Holliday, Marcia Holschuh, Jeff Lang, Ron Leisure, Dale Lott, Larry Mills (deceased), Steve Miracle, Cyndi Pyles, Sandi Scott, Guy Tessum, Haley Townsend, Patrick Wentzel, Rich Ward, Pete Yakob and Jerry Yancey.

The Geppetto Woodcarvers 2025 Quilt Project may be viewed at WesBanco Bank, 415 Market St., Parkersburg, this month during regular business hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.