The 2nd Annual Sam’s Hope Foundation Benefit Chainsaw Carving Competition is now upon us. This competition will take place in Lincoln from July 18th through 21st to raise funds for Sam’s Hope Foundation.
Rolland “Sam” Kolve was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. Sadly, after two years of chemotherapy, Sam passed away. Glen and Marge Kolve established The Sam’s Hope Foundation to give back the kindness and support they received when their son Sam was ill.
The foundation, initiated in 2012, offers high school scholarships to Great Falls and Lincoln. It also created the Sam’s Hope Foundation award, granted to a 6th, 7th, and 8th grader who has shown academic improvement and contributed to community events.
Val Clark, along with her husband Lewis Clark, a chainsaw artist in Lincoln, wanted to support Sam’s Hope. Val explained, “My husband suggested, ‘I’ll bring some friends down and we’ll do some carvings and auction those off.’ That initial idea evolved into a full-fledged competition, raising a substantial amount of money. I believe we donated between $35,000 and $40,000 last year. The auction raised around $80,000, and we split it 50/50 with the carvers.”
Last year, the masterpiece from one of the carvers was auctioned for $15,000. The energy of the entire town was amazing, people started chipping in to help in several ways, including running the information table, cleaning up all the sawdust, which was used for several purposes, and hauling off the bigger chunks of wood which was used for firewood. Everyone is hopeful that this year will be just as great or even better.
Marge and Glen own Lambkins Restaurant in Lincoln, serving as the venue for the chainsaw carving event. The carvers will set up in the restaurant’s parking lot on Wednesday the 17th, starting around 10-11 am. Eight professional carvers from five states and Canada will participate in this four-day event. Auctions will be held on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, featuring the auctioning of the masterpieces created during the competition.
This year, the entire community is involved in the event. The carvers are reimbursed for their travel and lodging, with support from the owners of the Lincoln Hotel sponsoring some of the carvers and an Airbnb owner offering accommodation for a few nights. These are just a few examples of the whole town coming together to make this event a success.
For more information about Sam’s Hope Foundation, please call (406) 781-1583, (406) 362-4460, visit samshopefoundationmontana.com or email samshopemt@gmail.com
Author: Karen Anderson
Karen is the Editor-in-Chief overseeing all news operations at Foxys Publishing Co. She also loves photography and spending time with her dogs.
