On Saturday, June 13, Friends of Historic Heishmans Mill (FHHM) will hold the 2nd Annual Spirit of Schimmel expo, a free-of-charge show at Heishmans Mill, just west of Carlisle, Pa. This will be a small show with roughly 10 woodcarvers set up selling their work, many of whom are folk carvers inspired or influenced by 19th-century carver Wilhelm Schimmel. The show will take place on the first floor of the mill from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., located at 1206 Creek Road, Carlisle, Pa. Last June, FHHM volunteers staged the inaugural Woodcarvers Expo in the Spirit of Schimmel show. One of the goals was to educate the public on the legacy of Wilhelm Schimmel, one of the nations foremost folk artists. Schimmel (1817-1890) was a German-speaking immigrant who spent over 20 years in Cumberland County between 1869 and 1890. He is known to have spent time on this property throughout the 1870s, then owned and operated by John Greider, who also had a sawmill, a likely source of scrap material for carvings. Schimmel created mostly animals, such as roosters and eagles. Through 19th-century published newspaper accounts and arrest reports, it is known he was an itinerant tramp who was routinely involved in altercations. He died in the Cumberland County almshouse in 1890. Never signed, hundreds of wooden carved and painted folk carvings attributed to Schimmel have survived. Countless more have been destroyed and otherwise lost over the last 150 years. Today, every major American art museum has an example of an attributed Schimmel carving. One of the largest groupings of Schimmel carvings is at the Cumberland County Historical Society (CCHS) in Carlisle, which is assisting in the promotion of this event. A great-grandson of the mills last operating miller, Randy Heishman purchased the mill in 2019 from Preservation Pa. A Schimmel enthusiast, Heishman hopes the event will become an annual tradition. A food truck will be on-site. A display of numerous contemporary Schimmel-influenced carvings will be available for purchase. These will include folk carvings by Rodney Boyer, Jonathan Bastian, Carl Snavely, Keith Collis, Walter and June Gottshall, Phil Gottshall, Dan Strawser, Dierwechter, and others. Short historical lectures will take place throughout the day. Bob Rowe is going to display his Schimmel eagle and will give a talk about the provenance of the piece. The Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau is sponsoring this show as part of the 250th PA event schedule. Heishmans Mill is a historic water power mill along the Conodoguinet Creek in Cumberland County listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Operated by Friends of Historic Heishmans Mill (FHHM), this Pennsylvania 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation is committed to increasing public access to the Conodoguinet Creek Water Trail at the mill (there is a portage) and insuring the ongoing preservation of the mill and dam through educational programs. To learn more, email Paul Hoch at pdhoch819@gmail.com or visit www.friendsofheishmansmill.org.