Carlton Garrett’s magnificently hand-carved, whimsical, mechanical sculptures portray everyday events and folklore of rural Georgia. Born in Gwinnett County, Garrett moved to Flowery Branch in 1924. He ran the town’s waterworks and was also an ordained minister and a furniture salesman. Garrett began whittling small toys in the 1940s, and by the time of his retirement in 1962 he had created several motorized scenes showing his community. In this example he recreated the church services of his younger days, including such vanishing elements as the mourner’s bench, where repentant sinners knelt to ask forgiveness.