ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - The roar of chainsaws fills the air at the Go Outside Festival , but for Dave Weatherhead, it’s the sound of something warm coming to life. The owner of Timberworks Lumberjack show has found a unique way to keep score while bringing smiles to people’s faces — carving wooden bears.

Weatherhead has been perfecting his chainsaw carving technique for 25 years.

“People ask me, how long have you been carving? I want to say like 10 years, but it’s been probably 25 years I’ve been carving,” Weatherhead said. “And it started as a hobby, and it still sort of is a hobby.”

From hobby to crowd favorite

Each one-foot-tall bear starts with a single block of wood and what Weatherhead describes as a very loud tool.

“The chainsaw is sort of like a big Dremel tool and you just

See Full Page