Assistant Editor Jerry Lindsey wrote this feature and took the photos.
Memories from the past are found in many scrapbooks stored in attics and closets, but few have actual, small replicas that can be handled and admired. Alvin Strating was a whittler that spent much of his free time with a knife and stock of wood in hand.
His evenings following the busy day of farming chores would often be spent in the basement. There he would transform a small piece of wood into a replica of an animal, a farm implement, or agricultural structure, which were part of his life in rural Whiteside County, IL.
His first carving was modeled after a John Deere corn picker. It later became part of the complete farm set that still remains as a treasure within the family archives. Carvings were often given as presents to friends and family. The actual volume of pieces carved and painted is unsure. He is accredited with carving over 35 corn shellers–one of his favorite pieces.
A display of Alvin’s talent has been created in the attic by his son, Jim Strating. It is offered for viewing in his garage, as a way to share his father’s talent with the community.
Jim remembers that his dad often visited the Garden Plain lumber yard and left with scraps of wood pieces that were lying on the floor. His father carved them into models of his current lifestyle in agriculture.
The replicas are not just a chuck of wood. Many have moving parts as wheels roll, wings expand, and attachments raise and lower. Details of many items are able to be made much the same way the full-size implement operates.
Truly a man’s love of his lifestyle is witnessed in his talented wood carvings. The attention to details only could be drawn from his love of agriculture and a desire to show it to those he shared his time with.