Celebrity Guinness World Record Pumpkin Carver joins Lineup of October Classes at at the Hudson River Maritime Museum Wooden Boat School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          

PR Contact: Kirsty Gaukel:
Press & Marketing Manager
[email protected]

Program Inquiries: Dan Nelson
Manager of Wooden Boat School 
[email protected]

Kingston, NY (22 August, 2023)– The Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Wooden Boat School is pleased to announce a new lineup of classes for October. Taught by professionals in the field of woodworking and carpentry, the Wooden Boat School offers a variety of introductory and advanced courses for adults interested in expanding their skills in woodworking, boat building, and traditional crafts. Classes include paddle carving, building a live edge table, the hugely popular Foundations of Wood series and a special Pumpkin Carving workshop with Food Network’s Halloween Wars’ Deane Arnold! Registration for all classes is now open at www.hrmm.org/adult-classes.html.

The Wooden Boat School’s woodworking programs are perfect for adults who want to work with their hands and learn new skills. Participants will work on-site in the museum’s wood shop to create take-home projects with the help of skilled instructors. Some courses require some woodworking and/or machine tool experience.

For a detailed line-up of the Wooden Boat School’s classes for adults, please see the schedule below:

Sunday, Sept. 10, 10am - 5pm
Live Edge Table
"Live edge" furniture pieces retain the wood's original shape and natural appearance. In this class, you'll get the chance to create your own live edge coffee table from start to finish. Each student will get to pick a flitch of locally harvested hardwood, then use draw knives, sanders, and other hand tools to remove any bark and smooth the live edge. Students will cut their piece to custom dimensions followed by planing and smoothing. Finally, a set of legs will be attached. Each student will leave with their own coffee table ready for application with their choice of finish. 

Sat., Sept. 30 & Sun, Oct. 1, 2023
9am to 4pm
Paddle Carving 
From the shape of the blade, to its length, to the shape of the handle, the paddle you create will be made for you, by you. Choose either Otter Tail or Beaver Tail shaped blade for your paddle. Each participant in the class will be provided with a carving blank laminated of carefully selected woods. Using just hand tools, and finishing with a palm sander and hand sanding, you will carve your paddle blade to the desired shape. Once the blade is shaped, you will custom fit your paddle, by carving the shape of the grip area to fit your hands and cutting the paddle shaft to the perfect length for you. Students leave with a completed paddle ready for use on the water, or as a beautiful wall hanging in their home. Beginners are welcome!


Sat. Oct. 7 & Sun. Oct. 8
Build a Hinged Box
10am - 5pm
Instructor Annie Raso brings her years of experience to guide students through creating a beautiful, handmade box that is constructed without the use of fasteners. Students will learn how to make a variety of cuts and assemble a box with mitered corners and decorative spline joinery. In addition, students will also learn how to cut a lid from the box and use hand tools to mount brass hinges. Lastly, a lesson in finishing and some take-home finishing supplies will be provided.
This is an intermediate class: students must have experience with the table saw, chop saw, bandsaw, and hand tools.


Monday, Oct. 9 3PM-7PM
Pumpkin Carving with Deane Arnold
Join Ohio artist Deane Arnold for a very special pumpkin carving class! Deane is one of the most recognized and imitated pumpkin artists in the world, and will show you the tips and tricks of his unique carving style, which results in incredibly realistic and lifelike creatures. In addition to the three-hour afternoon class from 3 to 6 PM, Deane will be available for an extra hour after to help you create gorgeous photos of your pumpkin, share some tips for advanced carving, and more.
Deane has appeared on Food Network’s Halloween Wars, and works behind the camera on Outrageous Pumpkins as a pumpkin carving and photography consultant, where he is “Pumpkin Artist in Residence.”  Arnold holds the 2018 Guinness World Record for Gigant-o'Lantern.


Friday, Oct. 13 & Saturday, Oct. 14, 9am - 5pm
Square Rule Timer Framing 
This 2-day course is designed for students who seek hands-on experience in building timber frame structures. Learn how these structures are built, and assist in the construction of a square rule, post-and-beam timber frame structure on the HRMM campus. The group will cut mortise and tenon joints and join the structural frames. 
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Saturday, Oct. 21, 10am-5pm
Group/Family Build: Bird Feeder
A special group woodworking class to build a bird feeder from scratch. Your feeder will provide an opportunity not only to help sustain bird populations but also to observe birds up close. Woodworker Wayne Ford will guide your family or group through this easy beginner project. Staff from the Maritime Museum will also tell you a little bit about these common local birds. You'll also get a handout sheet covering what each of them likes and doesn't like to eat, with tips for how to maintain your feeder. Bring your family or small group of friends for this fun, hands-on build.

Fri., October 27, 6-8 PM & Sat., Oct. 28, 10am-5pm
Wooden Pen Turning Class
During this introductory woodworking class, students will learn to use a lathe and woodworking hand tools to create two of their own wooden pens. Students can choose from a variety of exotic and domestic woods to make a beautiful, useful object that will last a lifetime. Participants will learn to prepare the wood, turning using a small lathe, and pen assembly. This class is open to all skill levels and is perfect for the beginning woodworker, with no prior woodworking or turning experience necessary. 
Build an Acoustic Guitar
Nine Session Workshop
Sundays, 10am to 5pm, starting October 22, 2023
Have you ever wondered how acoustic guitars are made? Want to enhance your playing skills with a custom-built instrument? Join experienced woodworker and luthier Bill Sterling in this start-to-finish acoustic guitar kit build, which includes everything but the tuners and strings. Beginners are welcome!


For details about classes and registration , visit the Wooden Boat School online at https://www.hrmm.org/adult-classes.html or call (845) 338-0071. 
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The Hudson River Maritime Museum is located along the historic Rondout Creek in downtown Kingston, N.Y. HRMM is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. The Museum opened the Riverport Wooden Boat School in 2016 and the Riverport Sailing School in 2017.

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