Pro-carver Bob King captured the Echo Cup for the third consecutive year at the Echo Chain Saw Carving Series Championship held Oct. 3-5 at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Among the competitors was Lakeport resident Mark Colp, who won the People's Choice category.

Eight world-class chain saw carvers from across the U.S. and Japan competed in the fourth Echo sponsored Championship after placing in the top rankings of one of four qualifying events. They competed in New Mexico to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Mexico and to win cash/prizes totaling more than $75,000.

The final sculptures were judged on Sunday, Oct. 5 and then auctioned with all proceeds benefiting the Make a Wish Foundation of New Mexico. The event raised $34,700. The organization grants "wishes" to children who have a life threatening medical condition. Eight wishes were identified for funding from proceeds at the championship.

The carvers had 20 hours over three days to produce masterpiece sculptures based on their interpretation of the theme "Launching Dreams."

The pieces were judged and ranked on how well the carver interpreted the theme, the difficulty of the design and craftsmanship Visit www.echo-usa.com/carvingseries to view the beauty of the pieces and the unique style each carver chose to build a competitive advantage.

First Place: Bob King of Edgewood, Wash. with his piece "Innocent Dreams."

Second Place: Terry Ahola of Grands Pass, Ore. with his piece "Make a Wish."

Third Place: Dayton Scoggins of Heidelberg, Mass. with his piece "Soaring Dreams."

Fourth Place: Hiromu Kurita of Ichihara City, Chiba, Japan with his piece “Future in the Sky.”

Fifth Place: Zoe Boni of Ridgway, Penn. with her piece "Dream Launcher."

Sixth Place: Mark Herrington of Wilkeson, Wash. with his piece "Sacred Calling."

Seventh Place: Jeff Samudosky of Columbia, Conn. with his piece "Sweet Dreams."

Eighth Place: Mark Colp of Lakeport, Calif. with his piece "Sky Dreamer."

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