Carving out a good time
June 23, 2008 - 10:56 AM
by Elliott Wilson
by Elliott Wilson
The works carved up at the Loggerodeo’s three-day, chain-saw carving competition are of the second sort, but event organizer and Loggerodeo vice president J.B. Bryson said that does not diminish their artistry.
“There are carvers that will make that bear look exactly like a bear. It will have the eyes, the claws, the teeth,” he said.
The hulking cedar sculptures of Washington wildlife and subjects from logging lore begin as a log that is 8 or 9 feet long and 3 feet in diameter.
Ultimately the competition is based on art, Bryson said. But finishing a carving requires something more in tune with a day spent chopping wood than painting a canvas.
“Most of it is art, but if you take a 20-pound chain saw and hold that thing for three days ... that is a tremendous endurance test,” Bryson said. “You are an artist, but at the same time you are an athlete, too.”
No matter what the weather, Bryson said nearly 15,000 people come to watch the 12 professional carvers craft full-size carvings and smaller works during the competition, which will run July 3-5.
Many more visitors will come to Sedro-Woolley for the logging exhibition, rodeo, fireworks, parades, street dance, arts and craft, food vendors and other attractions during the 74th annual Loggerodeo, which will run June 27 through July 6.
Bryson struggled more than usual this year finding logs for the carving competition.
The old supplier, Welco Lumber, sold its Western Washington mill, and Bryson is still scouring the region for logs, which contain between 400 and 500 board feet each.
He has seven logs so far, meaning the field of invited carvers could be narrowed from the standard 12. But Bryson said smaller logs will still be available for three one-hour, quick-carve competitions.
Each log for the main competition can cost $600. But the results are even more valuable than the raw materials.
“Some of the carvings are very, very ornate,” said Bryson. “We have carvings that sell for $1,200 or $1,300. We have some sold for over $5,000.”
Each year Loggerodeo tries to purchase one carving for the city of Sedro-Woolley. But last year’s carvings were so expensive and people bought them so quickly — even before they were completed — that organizers ended up without any.
The annual carving competition is not the only event that will begin with a log and turn into something more.
Greg Bisbey’s logging exhibition will feature loggers racing up and down 60-foot logs planted in the ground, cutting trees with cross cut saws and felling 30-foot poles onto a peg in the ground.
Bisbey, owner of Sedro-Woolley-based Bisbey Tree Care and a seven-time lumberjack sports world champion, said the sport can be intense — even dangerous.
“The actual competition part of it is not that dangerous. A lot of twisted ankles,” said Bisbey, though he has seen people chop off their own feet while wielding razor-sharp axes for sport.
He said the Loggerodeo shows have been injury free so far, adding “knock on wood” just to be safe.
• Elliott Wilson can be reached at 360-416-2147 or at .
