Nebraskaland

34 Nebraskaland • November 2025 Before School, After School Lon Bernth from Papillion was a school principal for more than 30 years, and the role of a principal is enormous. Early morning meetings and after-school athletic events. It's a 24/7 job. Which is why Lon always had a carving nearby, just in case he got a few minutes to work on it. "I always loved art," he said. "I was always painting and coloring as a kid." Then, when he started carving, he fell in love with the step-by-step process. "Watching it come from a block of wood to look like a bird or animal. Then you woodburn it, and it added more. Then you painted it, and it added even more. I was hooked." Now, he's nearly 50 years into carving. "A lot of people, when they retire, don't have something to do," he said. "You just want something you like and that you can spend time to do." Carving is it for Lon. Make a Smaller Bird Kirk Pfeff er from Council Bluff s remembers the day 27 years ago that he was walking through an airport and saw a man detailing a carving as he waited on his plane. "This guy was an old member of the club, and he turned me on to Norm, and I eventually started taking lessons from Norm and have been doing that for a long time now." To carve, Kirk said, you have to fi nd a mentor. "You get so much help from everyone here," he said. "Finding a mentor, an instructor, that was huge." This support remains so important because the act of wood carving is not a simple one, he said. "Anyone can do this, but it takes perseverance, and the learning curve is steep." An engineer by trade, painting is toughest for Kirk. "I'm never good enough in my own mind doing it," he said. "It's a struggle." But he does have one tip that can help any carver, new or experienced. "If you start out carving a larger bird and it looks like garbage, then make a smaller bird out of it." A Light Clicked On "I was carving in a vacuum," said long-time carver Al Thomas from Omaha. "Then I went to a show and saw what the other guys were doing. It turned the light on." That light has stayed on for fi ve decades as Al has continued to work, competing nationally and contributing any number of projects to Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited banquets. "When I started in 1979," he said, "I was an art teacher. I started to do woodworking, and I had grown up hunting. I put these three things together." Now, long since retired, Al — for the most part — continues to have fun with it, except for one aspect. "Sawdust is not fun," he admitted. "Instead, I use a lot of knives." I'm Not Going Back "When I fi rst went to the club," said Dick Zechmann of Lincoln. "I told my wife I wasn't going back. They were Lon Bernth, carver of this bald eagle, has always loved art. A school principal for more than 30 years, he would always have a project close by in case he had extra time to work. Kirk Pfeff er, creator of this avocet, has very practical advice for would-be carvers. "If you start out carving a larger bird and it looks like garbage, then make a smaller bird out of it."

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