Bill,
We have a fair number of members here in the western part of NC and several here in the heart of Apple Country. I know that you are a turner and I suspect you take advantage of the marvelous programs run each month by the Carolina Mountain Woodturners at the Folk Art Center in Asheville. Although I also attended the Greensboro Turners Symposium to represent the NC Woodworker, I am not a turner.
I've been a member here since the fall of 2005 and I'm also President of the Western NC Woodworkers Association that meets every second Saturday at the shop of Mountain Sawyers in Fletcher -- we had our meeting this past Saturday and had our largest turnout ever with 49 folks attending. The majority of WNCWA members are more traditional woodworkers (furniture, cabinets, scrolling, box making and so on), although several also are turners. We had a program on cabinetmaking this past weekend and next month will feature Arts & Crafts furniture maker Gregory Paolini of Waynesville.
Back in October 2008, NCWoodworker CaptnA (Andy Henderson of Mills River) and his wife sponsored a BBQ picnic along the shores of the French Broad River in Arden and there was a turnout of about 50 NCWW.net and WNCWA members that had a great day. WNCWA has a member BBQ and tool auction each fall in Fairview (we had about 50 last fall). As Doug Robinson mentioned, NCWoodworkers had a nice booth at the Klingspor Extravaganza last October (our 4th year there).
I'd love to have a picnic or similar event here in the high country, too -- it takes a good team of people to organize one and perhaps we can impose on Andy to help us run another one at the Asheville Firefighter's site in Arden. The site has many good attributes for an event, including access for physically challenged guests. And, I'm sure we could get some strong support from NC Woodworker. I can't commit to chairing a Picnic Committee here now since I am deep into the next big event on the NC Woodworker horizon; I am chairing the Spring 2010 Raffle that will kick off next month.
