Logging show and competition set for Saturday

Matt Baide | Jun 02, 20220

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The Forest Festival logging show and chainsaw exhibition is staged from noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Loop Field.

The logging show is hosting the STIHL Timbersports Western Qualifier for men and women. Events include the standing chop, horizontal chop, springboard, hot saw, stock saw, stock chainsaw and single buck.

"I think, with the competition, the event that's most popular is the springboard competition," Forest Festival Board President Mick Sprouffske told the Journal. "You're pairing two people against each other on the springboards to see who gets on top of the block first and obviously, chops through it first."

There's no one from Mason County competing, but there are a few veterans in the field, Walt Page, Mike Forrester and David Moses. Nate Hodges competed in 2019 in his rookie year and won the western qualifier and almost upset the competition at nationals. He will be back and someone to watch.

Four women are competing this year and Erin LaVoie and Kate Page are the top two competitors.

The winner of the competition will earn a spot in the U.S. National Championship in Little Rock, Arkansas, on July 21 and 22.

Sprouffske said he is excited to have the event back this year and he said so is the community based on social media comments. The last event was 2019 and he didn't believe the show and competition would be back this year.

"When we start planning our event is in the fall and this year it was evident we weren't going to have a show because of the COVID mandates and then, lo and behold in February when the mandates were relaxed, this opportunity popped up again and we jumped on it so it's fun to have," Sprouffske said. "It's fun to see the crowds that we draw. STIHL has told us many times that we draw the biggest crowds in the country."

The chainsaw carvers will be hosting an exhibition next to the logging show on the other side of Loop Field. The Northwest Professional Chainsaw Carvers are from Grays Harbor County. There will be four of them and they will take about two hours to make their creation, which will be put on display and up for sale. There will be stands set up in front of them for spectators to watch.

"We're happy to be back, happy to be able to have this event," Sprouffske said. "It's been a long time and we've been seeing events that our royalty court has attended so far this year. The crowds are real appreciative to be out and about."