Hand-carved cane is woodcarving group's contribution to charity

How much wood would a wood carver carve if a woodcarver could carve wood?

Quite a bit, actually, but the members of the Batavia Woodcarvers club restrained themselves to carve only a five-foot tall "friendship cane" for Saturday's silent auction at the Windmill City Festival. The auction will last from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. July 11 at the club's booth at the festival.

Made up of 15 blocks of wood, the friendship cane has an Americana theme in honor of the Fourth of July.

"There's a bald eagle right at the top, the beginning of the preamble of the Constitution, a corn field, and half of one is a baseball and a bat," club member Don Lindman said.

Thirteen members of the club carved blocks of wood for the friendship cane, which Lindman estimates takes between two and four hours for each segment, depending on the intricacy of the carving and the skill of the carver.

"This is the fourth time we've made a friendship cane for the festival's silent auction, and it averages out to about $600 each cane," Lindman said.

Each year the club has made a friendship cane for the silent auction, all proceeds have been given to charity, and this year is no different. In years past, the club donated its proceeds to the Batavia Food Pantry and the Iowa Flood Relief, but this year will support the Tri-Cities Salvation Army.

"We chose the Salvation Army because they're really struggling since fewer stores are letting them ring their bells outside their stores," Lindman said.

The Woodcarvers club meets every Monday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church, and while you're too late to work on this year's friendship cane, you can get a head start on next year's.