The waterfowl forger

BY HASTINGS HENSEL | PHOTOS BY MIC SMITH

AT HIS WORKBENCH IN HIS YONGES ISLAND WOOD SHOP, Tom Boozer sits with his draw knife and begins to carve a crude wooden block.

With each pull of the knife, long strips of wood peel away until a familiar form begins to take shape the body of a duck one of the more than 3,200 decoys he’s fashioned in his world-renowned career as a woodcarver.

The hand tool itself is over 200 years old, and he sharpens it daily with a whetstone and leather strop. The wood the rare but prized Atlantic white cedar he logged from the swamps and roughed out with a hatchet. He custom-built the workbench.

“It’s preservation of history. With using these tools and techniques, everything you’re doing is the way it was done 200 years ago,” Boozer says. “A Skil saw will cut through whatever you want to cut through. With a hand tool, you’ve got to work the wood the way the wood grew.”

After he fashions the body and hollows it out with a fishtail chisel, he carves one of eight different heads, including preeners, feeders, stalkers and sleepers. Then he paints the feathers using special paints and painting techniques so that the wood comes to resemble a wood duck or a mallard or a blue-winged teal or whatever his client has commissioned.

A meticulous craftsman who’s also an avid duck hunter he has a sleeping black duck on his shelf that’s been on every duck hunt with him since 1970 Boozer has perfected his process for nearly sixty years, ever since he learned as a 10-year-old boy how to do it from a boat builder named Olin Ballentine.

“He would come to my grandaddy’s store on Saturdays and tell tall tales and carve heads. I took right up with him,” Boozer says. “He was a nut about the basics. I made the first bird, and he said, ‘Boy, no self-respecting duck is gonna stool to that thing. You gotta round them up. There ain’t no square edges on a duck!’ And when I’m sitting on the bench to this day, I’m hearing: ‘There ain’t no square edges on a duck!’ He stayed with me.”

A few years ago, Boozer began to make wooden turkey decoys on the suggestion of legendary DNR game warden Ben McMoise. The models are so popular with collectors that the National Wild Turkey Federation ordered 28 of them for their 50th anniversary celebration, and Boozer also has a pair of turkeys on display in the South Carolina State Museum.

In addition to decoys and ducks, Boozer also makes dioramas and model ships for museums and private collectors. One of his next projects is a diorama of the Georgetown harbor, working to construct the scene from a collection of photographs by Frank Tarbox in the early 1900s. But perhaps his most popular piece is a model of Jenny, the shrimp boat from Forrest Gump, which Boozer builds from the cypress boards of the real boat in the film.

“I tell you, right after the movie, them things were hot,” he says. “And every time they re-run Forrest Gump, I’ll get a call.”

GET MORE For more on Tom Boozer’s handcrafted decoys or to schedule a visit to his workshop, call (843) 889-3390.

“THERE AIN’T NO SQUARE EDGES ON A DUCK!”

Embracing the wisdom of his mentor and using traditional hand tools, including a draw knife more than 200 years old, Tom Boozer first carves and hollows out a body, then fashions a head in one of eight different positions.

SCLiving.coop/calendar

Our mobile-friendly site lists even more festivals, shows and events. You’ll also find instructions on submitting your event. Please confirm information with the hosting event before attending.

Upstate

JUNE

11 Greenville Fun Fest, Fluor Field, Greenville. greenvillefunfest.com.

15, 22, 29 Simpsonville Summer Music Series & Food Truck Rodeo, CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park, Simpsonville. svillesummerseries.com.

15–17 Landrum Quilters 2023 Quilt Show, Landrum Farmers Market, Landrum. landrumquilters.com.

15–18 Chautauqua History Comes Alive Festival, multiple venues, Greenville area. historycomesalive.org.

16–17 The Mighty Moo Festival, Veterans Memorial Park, Cowpens. thecowpensmightymoo.com.

17 Americana Folk Festival, Hagood Mill Historic Site, Pickens. (864) 898‑2936 or hagoodmillhistoricsite.com.

21–24 South Carolina Festival of Stars, Main and Saluda streets, Ninety Six. (864) 543‑3396 or scfestivalofstars.com.

24 Freedom Blast, Greer City Park, Greer. (864) 968‑7008 or freedomblast.org.

JULY

1 America’s 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run, Anderson County Courthouse Square, Anderson. runsignup.com/race/sc/ anderson/americas5k.

1 Fountain Inn Fireworks Spectacular, Main Street, Fountain Inn. (864) 862‑4421 or fountaininn.org.

2 Simpsonville Simply Freedom Fest, CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park, Simpsonville. ccnbamphitheatre.com.

4 Fireworks on the Fourth, Unity Park, Greenville. (864) 232‑2273.

4 Hillbilly Day, Mountain Rest Community Club, Mountain Rest. mountainrestcommunityclub.com.

4 Red, White & Boom, Barnet Park, Spartanburg. (864) 596‑2000 or cityofspartanburg.org.

6–8 BBQ & Blues Festival of Discovery, downtown, Greenwood. uptowngreenwood.com.

12–22 South Carolina Peach Festival, downtown, Gaffney. southcarolinapeachfestival.weebly.com.

15 Banjo Extravaganza, Hagood Mill Historic Site, Pickens. (864) 898‑2936 or hagoodmillhistoricsite.com.

Ongoing

Fridays through Labor Day Bluegrass Music and Square Dancing, The Barn at Oconee State Park, Mountain Rest. (864) 638 5353.

Midlands

JUNE

11 Lake Murray Symphony Orchestra presents Concertos & Cupcakes, Harbison Theatre, Irmo. (803) 400‑3540 or lmso.org.

16 Aiken Master Gardener Lunch Box: “Butterfly Gardening,” Millbrook Baptist Church, Aiken. (803) 508‑7739 or aikenmastergardeners.org.

16–17 Juneteenth Rock Hill, downtown, Rock Hill. juneteenthrockhill.com.

17 The South Carolina Juneteenth Freedom Fest, Segra Park, Columbia. (803) 599‑9183 or juneteenthfreedomfest.com.

17 Juneteenth Mega Festival, The Landing on Bogus Hill, North Augusta. (803) 270‑5930 or juneteenthmegafestival.com.

17 Newberry Juneteenth, downtown, Newberry. newberryjuneteenth.com.

17 South Carolina Scale Model Mega Show, Seven Oaks Park, Columbia. (803) 665‑9263 or scmegashow.com.

19 Hopeland Gardens Concert Series: The Experiment & the I-20 Horn, Hopeland Gardens, Aiken. (803) 642‑7631.

19 Juneteenth at the CMA, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia. (803) 799‑2810 or columbiamuseum.org.

19 Hopeland Gardens Concert Series: Parris Island Marine Band, Hopeland Gardens, Aiken. (803) 642‑7631.

23 Rice Culture in South Carolina, Past and Present, USC Lancaster Native American Studies Center, Lancaster. (803) 313‑7172.

24 Columbia Shrimp & Grits Fest, Seawell’s, Columbia. columbiafoodtours.com.

24 Lizard Man Stomp, downtown, Bishopville. (803) 486‑5093 or facebook.com/lizardmanstomp.

24–25 AG + ART Tour, various farms and markets, Chester County. agandarttour.com.

JULY

1 4th of July Celebration on Lake Murray, Lake Murray, Columbia. lakemurraycountry.com.

1 Independence Day Celebration, Fort Jackson Hilton Field, Columbia. jackson.armymwr.com.

4 Lexington County Peach Festival, Gilbert Community Park, Gilbert. lexingtoncountypeachfestival.com.

14–22 God of Carnage, Aiken Community Theatre, Aiken. (803) 648‑1438 or aikencommunitytheatre.org.

Lowcountry

JUNE

15–16 Juneteenth Celebration, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Hilton Head Island. (843) 255‑7301 or exploremitchelville.org.

16–17 Florence Food Truck Festival, Florence Center, Florence. (803) 679‑4525 or florencecenter.com.

17 Paddle the May Race, Bluffton Oyster Factory Park, Bluffton. standandpaddle.com/paddle the may.

17–24 Hampton County Watermelon Festival, downtown, Hampton. hcmelonfest.org.

20 A Monumental Occasion: 250 Years in the Making, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

24 Conway Riverfest, 6 Elm Street, Conway. conwayriverfest.com.

25–July 31 Muzika! The Grand Strand Music Festival, multiple venues, Myrtle Beach. (803) 545‑4166 or varnainternational.com/muzika.

JULY

1 July 4th Concert, Edisto Beach Baptist Church, Edisto Beach. (843) 869‑2505.

4 4th of July Concert at Kaminski House, Kaminski House Museum, Georgetown. (843) 546‑7706.

4 4th of July Fireworks, downtown, Folly Beach. visitfolly.com/fireworks.

4 Hilton Head Firecracker 5K Run, Jarvis Creek Park, Hilton Head Island. firecracker 5k.com.

4 Salute from the Shore, Cherry Grove to Bluffton. salutefromtheshore.org.

4 Surfside Beach 4th of July Celebration, Martin Field, Surfside Beach. (843) 913‑6111.

11 Cecil Williams and the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland. (843) 284‑9227 or morrisheritagecenter.org.

14–23 Beaufort Water Festival, Waterfront Park, Beaufort. bftwaterfestival.com.

June In The Garden

n If your inner gardener just wouldn’t allow you to toss a pretty poinsettia away after last Christmas became a memory, now is a good time to give it a vacation outside in a semi-shaded spot. For a fuller, more compact plant later, prune each branch back now, leaving three to five leaves on each stem.

n Do something different for the gardening dad in your life this Father’s Day by planting a specimen, unusual or hard-to-find tree, shrub or perennial in his honor.

Made for the shade: Japanese painted fern

BY L.A. JACKSON

I AM A BIG FAN OF USING native ferns in shady landscapes, but there is one elegant Far East import that has found its way into my garden: Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum). This dazzling shadow dancer sports an alt-green presence where the sun doesn’t shine, with colorful fronds stretching to 18 inches long.

To defend my fancy for this foreign fern, I only have to crank my time machine back to 2004, when the Japanese painted fern cultivar Pictum was named Perennial of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. It was a well-deserved award because Pictum’s variegated green fronds heavily dusted in silver supported on wine-red stems refused to be ignored in the low light of shady gardens.

TIP OF THE MONTH Crape myrtles can be purchased anytime during the year, but buying them in midsummer gives you the advantage of seeing these beauties in bloom—and their flowers’ true colors. Plant tag images can fade, and they aren’t always accurate, so eyeballing the actual blossoms is a good way to go. Crapes planted in the summer scorch should be given well-prepared holes, plenty of mulch and regular waterings. A good alternative is to temporarily tuck away your potted crape cuties in a semi-shady spot, water them weekly and wait until the fall, which is the prime planting time for woody ornamentals.

Almost 20 years after the PPA kudos, Pictum still remains popular, making it an easy find both at local garden centers and online nurseries. However, this eye-catcher now has competition from other elegant cultivars. Burgundy Lace and Metallicum sport colors similar to Pictum, while the pale, silverygray Ghost is a spectral treat in waiting. Ditto for the soft beauty of Silver Falls with its shimmering fronds complemented by reddish-purple veins.

Japanese painted ferns are made for the shade, but you don’t have to treat them like botanical vampires. In fact, if they are planted in an area that receives some early morning sun, their colors tend to have more zing.

While Japanese painted ferns are shade-lovers, they also prefer moist, humid conditions, meaning they are ideal plants for South Carolina’s steamy summers. In well-drained, humus-rich soil, these hardy deciduous perennials will spread by creeping rhizomes, forming colony clumps that can be divided in the spring to add their special shine into other dimly lit nooks and crannies in your landscape.

These deer-resistant ferns can stand some drought, but they survive rather than thrive in extended dry conditions, so supplemental waterings when the rains don’t come are advised. As long as their moisture needs are met, Japanese painted ferns can even make pleasing additions to shady containers, but do provide room to grow by tucking them away in individual pots that are at least 12 inches in diameter.

Japanese painted ferns don’t require a lot of fertilizer, so if you have the need to feed, use either a time-release product at half the recommended rate for other perennials or a low-nitrogen organic fertilizer.