Schindler design makes the cut

A piece of barn wood from his grandparents' farm, coupled with an old license plate, inspired a Ewing youth's exhibit at the 2019 Holt County Fair.

The piece, made by Alec Schindler, was named best in show in the intermediate group of home environment exhibits and earned judge's choice honors.

The piece will be displayed at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island.

Schindler, son of Jody and Jason Schindler, said in the beginning, he wasn't sure what he would make.

Then, his mom saw a craft idea on Pinterest that utilized an old license plate.

An idea was born.

"It was decorative," Schindler said.

He scoured his grandparents' farm for a piece of wood left over from a barn that was torn nearly a dozen years ago.

Success.

He drilled a hole through the center of the board and used a Skil saw to cut out the shape of Nebraska.

"That was pretty hard," he said.

He sanded the cutout and eventually sanded the entire piece of wood so it had a smooth surface.

A 1976 Nebraska license plate was located and placed behind the cutout.

"It's pretty cool," he said.

He plans to hang the project in the family's Nebraska room.

Last year, Schindler constructed a towel hanger out of an old window pane and deer horns.

He said he enjoys woodworking.

"I like working with the saw and drill," he said, "even though cutting it out was the hardest part."