Logger Days set to begin June 23; get ready to test your skills

Forget what the calendar says, come Logger Days, it’s summer!

The 53rd annual event for 2011 will be Thursday, June 23, to Sunday, June 26, at J. Neils Memorial Park.

“It’s going to be a great event,” said Logger Days Chairman Jessica Svendsbye. “We’re looking forward to some great weather and some great fun. Get out and buy your Logger Day buttons.”

The Logger Days buttons are sold by the King and Queen candidates and are $5 in advance and $10 at the gate.

Logger Days is an education-based series of summer days where the local community showcases it’s forest stewardship heritage.  Started more than 60 years ago, it long been used to educate the local population about forest management, forest management machinery and techniques and forest management cultural norms.

Also, there is an excellent court of five young ladies who will vie for the Queen title and another pair who will compete for King.

The Queen candidates include Chelsea Bowe, Kyla O’Brien, Sandra Sanderson, Miranda Raab and Kaya Hardgrove.

King candidates include Robin Kyes and Dylan Berget.

These candidates, during the days leading up to the event, will compete in fundraising activities with the winners emerging as the Logger Days King and Queen.

While Logger Days serves as an educational reminder of the realities of forest management for local people, it also serves a larger audience in the many visitors who come from outside of the community to learn about forestry and the forestry culture.

“We’ve got carnival rides for the everyone, but we’ve got free passes for youngsters, K (kindergarten) through seventh grade,” Svendsbye said. “We’ve spent about $9,000 on these passes for the children, and they’re good for unlimited rides for one session.”

Since society has expressed dual desires to protect forested lands with wise management techniques and make ecologically sound decisions regarding the appropriate use of wood and wood fiber items, the need to educate the public about forests and their management has never been greater.

Professional competitors and athletes from area state and public university and community college forestry programs engage in logging games that couple fun with learning for the gathering’s audiences.

Educational exhibits, displays and demonstrations have and will often reflect not just current equipment and techniques but also teach of the rich history of forest management during the last two centuries.

Also, there are plans for a softball tournament, with times to be arranged.

For additional information, call 293-1074, 283-1885,or 293-1291 or visit the Web site at www.loggerdays.org or e-mail infor@loggerdays.org.