Save the Date - 2026 Gourd Festival - October 23-25, 2026
October 24, 2026 - saturday Morning ClasseS
Fanciful Gourd Fish
S-AM-1
Cara Bevan
Things are getting fishy in here... We're going to be making fanciful gourd fish! I will show you how to use craft plastic to make beautiful waving fins and sculpt their faces using Quikwood on egg gourds. No sculpting experience is necessary! We will be painting them and each fish will get a wooden base so it's ready to display and enjoy. You will leave the class with one completed gourd fish.
Cost: Member: $50.00 Nonmember: $55.00
Time: Saturday 9:00-12:00
Min: 3
Max: 12
Skill Level: All
Students Should Bring: Optional: Your own scissors and heat gun
TWIGY
F-PM-2 AND S-AM- 2
Laurie Weiand
You will learn how to build Twigy from the ground up. From the snowflake base to his top hat, you will create all the special details needed to build this tall snowman that measures around 2 feet high. Special note* For this class there will be 2 different day/sessions to complete him.
Cost: Member: $90.00 Nonmember: $95.00
Friday 1:00-5:00 AND Saturday 9:00-12:00
Min: 4
Max: 12
Skill Level: All
Students Must Bring: Heat gun, glue gun, rubber gloves
Caulking Lace Bowl
S-AM- 4
Anna Fountain
In this class you will learn how to make caulking lace, add it to a bowl. You will learn how to emboss, add mica powder, and gold leaf to the caulking lace. There will be no set design to your bowl. You will get to use your creativity to design or copy the class bowl if you wish. This is a fun class with unlimited possibilities. You will get to keep the fondant mat, applicator, and the remaining tube of caulking. (Your bowl may not look like the one shown since you have creative control over your design. The bowl shown shows mica powder, embossing, and gold leafing)
Cost: Member: $60.00. Nonmember: $65.00
Time: Saturday 9:00-12:00
Min: 1
Max: 10
Skill Level: All
Student Should Bring: apron, heating tool
Spill the Tea
S-AM- 5
Donna Pulley
Spill the Tea
Make a stack of teacups using cannonball gourds and acrylic paint. Use the balloon painting technique to add pops of color to your cups.
Cost: Member: $55.00. Nonmember: 60.00
Time: Saturday 9:00-12:00
Min: 6
Max: 12
Skill Level: All
Student Must Bring: Apron, drill and bit
OCTOBER 24, 2026 - SATURDAY afternoon CLASSES
Gourd Peeking Owls
S-PM- 1
Cara Bevan
“Hooo” goes there! In this sculpting class we're going to be making an owl peeking out of randomly chosen medium sized gourds. We will be using Apoxie Sculpt clay, and I'll teach you how to realistically create feathers, apply them in layers, and everyone will get a pair of pre-painted glass eyes to use on their owls with a demonstration on how they’re made. Note This is a sculpting only class. This epoxy clay takes 4 hours to harden fully. You'll leave with one fully sculpted peeking owl on a natural wood base.
Cost: Member: $65.00 Nonmember: $70.00
Time: Saturday 1:00-5:00
Min: 3
Max: 12
Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Students Must Bring: Sculpting tools
Serenity Sculpture: An Asian-Inspired Mixed Media Gourd
S-PM-2
Deborah Hildinger
Create a peaceful Asian-inspired mixed media sculpture using a pre-dyed canteen gourd, bamboo, beads, palm seed pod stems, and decorative accents. This class is designed for students who enjoy working with natural materials and want to create a finished piece with elegance, texture, and sculptural presence.
Students will learn carving, wood burning, leafing, and assembly techniques as they transform a vertically cut canteen gourd into a one-of-a-kind serenity sculpture. A smaller cut gourd will be leafed and accented with palm seed pod stems, then attached to bamboo stems to complete the design. The result is a graceful, eye-catching artwork that blends organic materials with refined Asian-inspired style.
Cost: Member: $60.00 Nonmember: $65.00
Saturday 1:00-5:00
Min: 4
Max: 12
Skill Level: All
The instructor provides pre-cut and colored gourds, beads, buttons, palm seed pod stems, glue, waxed linen thread, and a variety of dried botanicals, making it easy to focus on creativity and design. Participants are also encouraged to bring special embellishments or natural materials of their own to personalize their sculptures and make each finished piece truly unique.
Students Must Bring:: A carver is required, along with diamond ball burrs. A wood burner is optional; an ultra-fine Sharpie may be used for line work. Please bring an apron and come ready to create a beautiful sculptural piece you’ll be proud to take home.
Silhouette Owl
S-PM- 3
DEB WHITE
Hooty, hoot, hoo…….learn and apply some basic carving and coloring techniques to create an attractive owl themed gourd. Students will learn how to:
Condition and color the background of the gourd surface
Transfer the provided design
Woodburn the outline of the design
Use a power micro-carver to etch the outer edge of the design, remove the gourd
skin and stipple the background
Add a feather charm to complete the design
Have you wanted to take a carving class but didn’t have the equipment? No worries, the instructor will have brand new micro-carvers and variable-temp wood burners
(including all the required accessories) available for a rental fee of $10 per unit. Only five units available so be sure to reserve your equipment by contacting the instructor via
email (first-come, first served).
Cost: Member: $60.00 Nonmember: $65.00
Saturday 1:00-5:00
Min: 4
Max: 8
Skill Level: All
Students Must Bring: Wood burner – knife or skew tip penCarver and favorite bits for outlining, skinning, and stippling
Heat Gun or Hair dryer
Safety Gear – Dust Mask, Eye and Hearing Protection
Apron
GLOWING DRAGONFLY
S-PM-5
Donna McCarthy
An etched dragonfly vividly outlined on a brilliant foiled background. The wings are woodburned to show the delicate web-like network of veins. Large black eyes are depicted in round black glass balls. The entire piece is circled with 3 woodburned rings, No carving is used in this class.
Cost: Member: $60.00 Nonmember: 65.00
Saturday 1:00-5:00
Min: 2
Max: 10
Beginner/Intermediate
Students Must Bring: Adjustable Woodburner with skew tip, round ball tips & shader.
gourd wine
S-PM-6
Lisa Mohr
For this class you will mount a gourd in a wine barrel ring on a barrel stave. Using color shift inks and a glaze you will color your gourd to match the wine color on the stave. You will complete the gourd using grape vine and reed for the rim. Your project can hang from the wall or be mounted on a stand.
In the class you will do one gourd, but the instructor will have extra gourds if you want to do more at home.
Cost: Member: $55.00 Nonmember: $60.00
Saturday 1:00-5:00
Min: 4
Max: 12
Skill Level: All
Students Must Bring: Heat gun, bucket to soak grape vine and reed, and apron
Snowy Night
S-PM-7
Diane Ricker
Old Frosty is peeking inside your house admiring your Christmas decorations. This project is to paint the snowy scene on the outside of the cut gourd. Any lights or interior decorations will be left up to the artist.
Cost: Member: $55.00 Nonmember: $60.00
Saturday 1:00-5:00
Min: 1
Max: 12
Skill Level: All
Students Must Bring: A ½” flat brush, ½” or larger (5/8) angled brush, a #4 or #6 flat brush, a 5/0 liner brush