(Exerpt Chetek Alert)

There are times when individuals pick a hobby to pursue, and there are times when the hobby pursues the individual. Mike Lotts of Chetek, WI is finding his experience to be more of the latter.

Mike Lotts owner and operator of Lotts Landing Campground in Chetek, was working the night shift at Fleetguard-nelson in Bloomer in addition to his work at the campground when he first discovered his new hobby in 2003 or as Lotts tells it-the hobby more or less discovered him.

“You Know, I can’t really explain how it happened, but my wife Shelly had purchased a carving from another carver in the area, and once I got it, I decided I would try it”, says Lotts. “It just went from there.”

Lotts recalls, I used to do a lot of steel fabricating, but once I got into carving wood with a chainsaw, I quickly fell in love.

With the carving taking up more and more of his time, and the campground still needing his attention, Lotts finally retired from his position as a night shift foreman in 2007.

Along his journey, Lotts has created some interesting creatures, furniture and even built the log addition on his home. Some of the interesting creatures include a crocodile, mountain goat, tree spirits and an eagle in flight. “ I have carved a wide variety of subjects and seldom repeat the same style to keep each one unique.”

You can view Lott’s Chainsaw Carvings on site at Lotts Landing Campground in Chetek, WI just off Cty I south of Chetek. Take Hwy 53 N or S Chetek exit.

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