Carver Bob King Retains Championship At ECHO Chain Saw Carving Series
Lake Zurich, IL (10/12/2007) - 
The roars you may have heard from the Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo recently did not come from a lion, a tiger, or a bear. They were chain saws used during the 2007 ECHO Chain Saw Carving Series Championship held October 6-8. And for the second year in a row, chain saw artist Bob King, of Edgewood, Washington walked off with the prestigious ECHO Carving Cup. King and seven other professional carvers competed in unseasonable, sweltering heat and humidity, spending nineteen competitive hours over three grueling days creating their unusual art.
This year’s theme: “The Great Wild North - A Celebration of the Legendary Animals of North America”, produced a wide range of sculptures but it was King’s, “All Creatures Great and Small” that took home the prize. The sculptures were judged according to five criteria including theme; degree of difficulty; craftsmanship; design and artistic impact; and correctness of form/state of completion. The “People’s Choice” award went to Brad Sharp, Rio Dell, California for his sculpture entitled, “Just Out of Reach”. Complete results follow:
| 1st Place |
Bob King |
Edgewood, WA |
“All Creatures Great and Small” |
| 2nd Place |
Mark Colp |
Lakeport, CA |
“Spirits of the Great North” |
| 3rd Place |
Joaquin Quezada |
Enumclaw, WA |
“The Great Gift” |
| 4th Place |
Jeff Pinney |
Cheswick, PA |
“Learning to Climb” |
| 5th Place |
Brad Sharp |
Rio Dell, CA |
“Just Out of Reach” |
| 6th Place |
Mike Bihlmaier |
Marengo, IL |
“Waiting Game” |
| 7th Place |
Jason Emmons |
St. Croix, IN |
“Wolf Pack Bench” |
| 8th Place |
James Denkins |
Cooks, MI |
“Sasquatch: Legend or Not?” |
King took home a prize package valued at almost $7,800 including cash, the ECHO Carving Cup, and a variety of Cannon carving bars. The total cash and prize package for the event totaled almost $34,000. Co-sponsors included Cannon Carving Bars, Holiday Inn - Countryside/LaGrange, Oregon Bar and Chain, and the Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo. All sculptures from the competition will remain on permanent display at the Zoo.
“ECHO is a proud sponsor and long-standing supporter of this unique art form. Action from this year and past Championships can be viewed by visiting www.echo-usa.com/carvingseries.