"The chainsaw," says Liz Boni, "will do for art what the electric guitar did for music."

To the uninitiated, that might sound like hyperbole, but to the tens of thousands who gather in this postcard-pretty section of northcentral Pennsylvania each winter, it is a simple statement of fact. Chainsaw carving is the revved-up, sawdust-spitting segment of the art world, a place where the scent of pine and motor oil are as vital as the sculptor's hands and eyes in creating gorgeous works of art. Undertaken here before thousands of spectators, it is the adrenaline-fueled meeting of performance art and fine art, and Liz and her husband Rick are among the those in the vanguard of the movement. Their passion is inspirational. Their enthusiasm is contagious. And their event--The Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous--is nothing less than the movement's Woodstock.

Each year, 25,000 people flock to this town in the gorgeous highlands known as the Pennsylvania Wilds to witness this event, a showcase that allows more than 200 chainsaw carvers from all over the world to display their talents, mingle with their peers, share and learn new techniques, and teach the craft to others. World Champions create one-hour "quick carve" sculptures and work on larger, more complex pieces of exceptional beauty and complexity throughout the week. There is also plenty of music, an auction of chainsaw art, the chance to buy large and small pieces from the assembled artists, communal meals, live music, and much more.

This year's Rendezvous will feature chainsaw carvers from more than a dozen countries and nearly 40 states, and an atmosphere that literally "buzzes" with creative energy.

In its size and scope, and in the worldwide attention it draws, it is almost beyond the comprehension of its delighted founders, who came up with the idea a decade ago, when Liz's husband Rick and his twin brother Randy, both chainsaw carvers, invited a few other carvers from the region for a weekend get-together.

"There were nine of them altogether," says Liz, "and they had so much fun they thought, 'We should do this again. We should show people what we do.'"

Spreading the word by internet helped attract 35 carvers, including one from England and one from Germany, to the first official Rendezvous, in 1999. The Boni’s told the carvers, "If you can get here, we'll take care of you." That's still the case today, with many in the community offering spare rooms, hunting camps and church rectories as sleeping quarters, and cooking meals for the carvers.

Almost at once the Rendezvous began attracting the media, which was effusive in its praise of what Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Gene Collier called "the delicious quirkiness of it all."

Once the first year was history, stories in the Associated Press, The Washington Post, CBS, ESPN and many other outlets helped draw bigger crowds every year. In fact, the event has changed locations three times to accommodate ever-larger crowds.

Carvers are drawn by the fact that the Rendezvous is cooperative rather than competitive, and by the straightforward integrity of the vision Randy, the Boni’s have always had for the event.

"When I got an e-mail from Randy," says Rodney Holland, a Scottish carver, "I could tell it was from the heart. Here there's no competition. Nobody wins anything. Nobody gets a dime. And then when I found out it raised money for [charity], I was persuaded."

Rick and Randy had been carving for years before they helped launch the Rendezvous, and Liz found she had a knack for spreading the word. She and Rick are the owners of Appalachian Arts Studio, a hands-on learning facility offering classes in wood carving and pottery, an old-style print shop and dark room facility, and a gallery/museum dedicated to the history and growth of the art of chainsaw sculpture. Their daughter Zoe has also earned a name as a top carver, one of many women who excel at the art form.

Rick and Liz have traveled the world, teaching and demonstrating carving in Europe and Asia as well as throughout the U.S., and it's obvious that they have found nothing less than a calling.

"If someone had told me 15 years ago," says Liz, "that I'd be traveling around the world with Rick doing this, I never would have believed it."

She has become a believer, and has made believers out of the tens of thousands who flock to Ridgway each year, and who will be coming back again in February. She says, "To see the excitement, the pure energy that's everywhere in this town while the carvers and spectators are here--well, trust me, you don't want to miss it."