Located in Ridgeway, Iowa, the Turkey River Cultural Center and Woodcarving Museum is home to the largest woodcarving collection in the United States, featuring over 6,000 pieces collected over 70 years by master carver Stanley “Slim” Maroushek . The museum showcases a diverse array of woodcarving styles, including realistic and caricature figures, totem poles, tribal masks, religious carvings, scroll saw works, relief carvings, intarsia, and wood burning. Highlights include the 120-piece, two-ring “Circus Display” by the Caricature Carvers of America and an 18-foot totem pole. Visitors can also view a life-size chainsaw-carved “Hobo Camp” created by Slim, relocated from Harmony, Minnesota.
Beyond the museum, the Cultural Center promotes traditional arts through bi-monthly acoustic music jams, woodcarving classes, and workshops on instruments like guitar, mandolin, and clawhammer banjo . Open May 1 through October 31, the museum welcomes visitors Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.; other times are available by appointment . Admission is $10 for a 45–60 minute guided tour. For more information or to schedule a visit, contact Slim Maroushek at 507-251-0546 or 563-737-2624.
