Mark Your Calendar

There is a flurry of activity underway in preparation for the event.  Most noticeable was the unveiling of the Carving on the Commons sign.

Prominently placed at the end of the village green/common area, it has caught the attention of passersby on Highway 59.  Mark your calendar!

Tom Weiss, Cooksville resident & artist

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Martha Degner (608) 335-8375

madegner@litewire.net

“CARVING ON THE COMMONS” CHAINSAW CARVING EVENT CREATES A BUZZ IN HISTORIC COOKSVILLE, WISCONSIN First Annual Event to Attract Woodcarvers from Throughout the Midwest

COOKSVILLE, WIS. – MAY 1, 2010 – A quaint town recognized throughout southwestern Wisconsin for its historic roots and artisan residents, Cooksville, Wisconsin will provide the ideal backdrop for the first annual “Carving on the Commons” chainsaw carving festival this summer. A two-day open-air event open to the public, Carving on the Commons will be held June 26 and 27 and will feature carvers at all levels, including some of the Midwest’s most celebrated chainsaw artists.

The event, which is hosted by the Cooksville Community Center, a non-profit organization founded in 1962, will be held at the Cooksville Commons – a public square at the heart of the Cooksville community. Here, spectators will experience the transformation of massive logs into beautiful works of art. Given that the carvers will work simultaneously and continuously throughout the two days, the event offers something new every minute.

“Chainsaw carving has been growing in popularity in recent years,” says Tom Weiss, a participating chainsaw carver and Cooksville resident. “Not only is it an entertaining art form for bystanders to watch, it also fits with our societal emphasis on sustainability. Chainsaw carving allows trees that would simply be turned into firewood to live on as works of art.”

Carving on the Commons will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is $3 for adults or $5 per family and all proceeds will benefit the Cooksville Community Center. Food and beverages, provided by Cooksville Lutheran Church, will also be available. Carving on the Commons will culminate in closing ceremonies on Sunday at 3 p.m., at which time an auction will take place to sell each wood sculpture to the highest bidder.

To learn more, visit www.carvingonthecommons.blogspot.com.

About Cooksville

Cooksville, “the town that time forgot,” was built before the Civil War on the New England model around the village green. Most of the 1840’s houses surrounding the green still stand and are restored to their original quaint beauty. Cooksville is home to what is probably the oldest continuously run general store in the state of Wisconsin.

Located 20 minutes from Madison and just six miles from Stoughton and Evansville, Cooksville is in Rock County. For more information, see History of Cooksville.

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