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Southern Maryland Carousel Group keeps carving out work
Friday, Nov. 21, 2008
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by SARA K. TAYLOR
Dick Dement points out the features on Sir Justin, a Maryland-centric carousel horse designed by the 11-year-old grandson of Burkey Boggs, the president of the Southern Maryland Carousel Group.
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From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., three days a week, a bunch of retired guys, who could be doing just about anything they wanted, are hard at work..
Holed up in a back room of a La Plata office building, members of the Southern Maryland Carousel Group — an offshoot of the Southern Maryland Wood Carvers — are usually either chipping away or sanding to foster the progress of the Southern Maryland Carousel that will one day, hopefully, find a home somewhere in Charles County.
Inspired by the former Marshall Hall merry-go-round, the carousel group has been working on the project for about four years, with carving starting about three years ago, according to Burkey Boggs, president of the group.
When they began, the completion date was set for 2008 to coincide with the 350th anniversary of Charles County.
But, due to the sluggish economy — the animals are "adopted" by organizations, schools or individuals — the project remains ongoing.
"Right now it's just keeping old men out of trouble," Boggs said.
Of the 48 animals needed (there will also be two handicapped-accessible chariots) about 21 pieces have been completed, including Neptune the sea dragon, which holds the distinction of being the longest (6 feet) and heaviest (more than the usual 150 pounds); Sir Justin, designed by Boggs' 11-year-old grandson, the brown horse features a blue crab saddle, a Maryland terrapin on the bridle, black-eyed Susans and a tobacco leaf painted on the body; Princess Erica, a horse named in honor of the late granddaughter of group member Bill Pemberton; and the Maryland "seal horse," the armored equine that adorns the state seal.
Carvers Melvin Williams and Dick Dement said that horse, which hasn't been painted yet, is a frontrunner to be the lead animal on the carousel.
A plan to order pre-carved ponies from an Ohio company was scrapped with donations now going toward the purchase of wood — basswood, which is soft enough to carve, has an even grain and consistent density.
Time and labor are, of course, free.
Working on the carousel has special meaning for several of the carvers who recall a childhood visiting Marshall Hall amusement park, riding the merry-go-round and attempting to snag the brass ring.
Some of the horses are re-creations of those that were once at Marshall Hall. A collector from New York, who owns one of the original horses from the era, sent the group of a photo of it for re-creation purposes. Then, he wound up adopting it, Williams said.
At one time, carousels were wildly popular.
According to the group, the "golden age of carousels" was between 1867 and 1930.
Thousands were built but time marched on and tastes changed.
Now there are maybe 170 of the amusements left across the nation.
Even fewer are hand-carved.
Certain group members try to visit as many of the remaining rides during their travels as they can, including the 1921 Dentzel Carousel in Glen Echo Park, if they're anywhere within 100 miles of one, Williams said.
Members of the group are also in the wood carvers group that meets every Wednesday evening at Milton S. Somers Middle School in La Plata.
Williams started wood carving about 15 years ago.
He mostly carves small things, birds, flowers, stuff like that.
During a Friday afternoon he was working on a bigger project, carving the head of a mustang for the carousel.
The mascot of Mechanicsville Elementary School, which held a fundraiser to pay the adoption fee, the horse is being made like the other carousel animals — in pieces.
Dement and Larry "Little Chip" Hieb (the nickname comes from his wood shavings being significantly smaller than those of his fellow carvers, a result of Hieb's interest in carving small, delicate items) work on the body; the ears, the tail and neck are all separate pieces.
Warren Cooksey and Pemberton sand a sailor hat-wearing tiger, the mascot of T.C. Martin Elementary School. Another five animals are out to be painted by members of the Charles County Arts Alliance.
There are always a couple of projects underway, Boggs explained.
Blueprints of a lion ("He's going to be a big devil," Williams predicted looking at the detail required for the upcoming project), a dolphin (Mary H. Matula Elementary School's mascot) and other animals paper the walls, dust clouds the air and wood chips litter the ground.
"There is enough work so everyone has something to do," Boggs said. "We're usually finishing one up and starting another one."
The wood carver group uses the leftover wood from the carousel animals for individual projects.
"There's not a lot of wasted wood," said Dement, who was introduced to the group after stopping by its booth at the Charles County Fair about seven years ago.
Something about the art appealed to Dement, even though he didn't consider himself an artist.
"Do we mess up?" he asked.
"No," Hieb answered. "We change the design."
"That's an old carver's joke," Dement said.
"You're going slow enough that you can see if a problem is coming up," Williams explained.
"It's a block of wood," Dement said. "If you don't like what you did, you use it as firewood, go back and start over."
staylor@somdnews.com
