About Us

Who We Are – The Hill Country Turners (HCT) was founded in 1989 as a chapter of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW), the largest organization in the world dedicated to the advancement of woodturning.  HCT members share knowledge, information, and provide assistance and encouragement to anyone interested in learning about or improving their turning skills.  The HCT is an affiliate member of the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center (KACC), the main organization in the Texas Hill Country dedicated to the advancement of the Arts.

Meetings – The HCT meet monthly in the basement of the KACC at 6:30 PM on the Second Thursday of each month.  The KACC building is located at 228 Earl Garrett Street Kerrville, TX.  The meeting normally last about 2 hours and usually consists of a woodturning related demonstration, a short business meeting, a “show and tell” of new work by members.  We have quarterly raffles for our members.  You will quickly figure out how this all works.  Refreshments, provided by HCT members are available at each meeting. 

Occasionally we will have special a purpose meeting or have a nationally recognized woodturners to do a Club demonstration.  Special events are planned well in advance and published in our monthly newsletter.

Membership Dues – Annual membership dues are collected in October/November of each year.  Currently our annual dues are $35 for an individual and $40 for a family.

Newsletter – Our newsletter is issued monthly about 10 days before each meeting.  E-mail is our primary means of communicating with members about important events and is how our newsletter is distributed.  It contains a recap of the previous months meeting and related events that will occur. 

Community Activities – The HCT are involved in many different community activities.  We generally have a demonstration tent at the Texas State Arts and Crafts Fair which is held over the Memorial weekend in Kerrville.  This is one of the premier arts and crafts fairs in the State of Texas.  We also have a prominent woodturning exhibit at the annual Texas Furniture Makers Show held each Fall at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center in Kerrville.  This show draws thousands of visitors from around the State and Nation.  The club often sponsors activities to help the less fortunate in our community.  Typical is the “Blue Santa” program where members donate money in care of the Kerrville Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association during the Christmas Holiday.  Our organization is often called upon to demonstrate at special events in the Texas Hill Country area.

Member’s Mentoring Program – The Club has had an unofficial mentoring program.  The concept is that HCT members who are having difficulty with any phase of their woodturning activity can call a more experienced member for assistance.  Members needing assistance and their mentor will meet at a mutually acceptable time and place to solve the problem(s).  The HCT has very knowledgeable members who have demonstrated at national symposiums, taught at nationally recognized art and crafts schools, demonstrated at other regional woodturning clubs, and have their work in numerous public and private collections.  Virtually any woodturning problem can be solved by one of our knowledgeable members.

Social Activities – The culmination of each year is the annual Christmas Party.  Instead of our normal December meeting, club members, with their spouse or guest gather for dinner and to celebrate the holidays.  The highlight of the Christmas Party is a gift exchange of woodturnings made by club members.  The cost is generally $30 – $35 per person.  We encourage all members to participate in this year-end event.

Officers and Representatives:

Secretary                       Marcy Dunn   secretary@hillcountryturners.org

Newsletter Editor     Tim Lutman    newsletter@hillcountryturners.org

SWAT Rep                      Kathy Weir    swat@hillcountryturners.org

Audio/Video                 James Hampton    av@hillcountryturners.org

If you would like more information about the Hill Country Turners, you can contact one of the above individuals at the email addresses above.

For comments or questions about this website contact:  webmaster@hillcountryturners.org