Poles are set up for the logging competition in Vernonia, which hosts one of the longest-running logging shows west of the Mississippi.
On the first weekend in August, the small town of Vernonia, Oregon, ballooned with visitors for its 66th annual Friendship Jamboree and Logging Show. During the three-day event, families grabbed candy flung from parade floats and watched a movie in the park, ate BBQ and admired custom cars and motorcycles. Many also competed in one of the longest-running logging shows for youth and adults west of the Mississippi.
Weyerhaeuser has been a proud sponsor of Vernonia’s Friendship Jamboree and Logging Show since 1992, acknowledging the important role rural communities like Vernonia play in our industry.
We donated 56 logs for the competitions.
VERNONIA
Located about 45 miles northwest of Portland, this small town has a rich logging history. Almost all its residents are associated with the timber industry in some way.
“Vernonia is pretty isolated — we say it’s 29 miles from anywhere — which means it’s a close community,” says Craig Olson, who does value optimization for Western Timberlands. “Our sponsorship of the Friendship Jamboree gives us the opportunity to not only support these loggers and their families, but also just have fun.”
Company support of the Jamboree began in the Longview Fiber days and has continued since. This year, Weyerhaeuser supplied the logs for the logging show, contributed money for the family movie night in the park — “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” was a big hit — and served as a sponsor for the overall event.
Events in the youth logging competitions include firewood stacking.
KEEPING LOGGING TRADITIONS ALIVE
While the weekend includes community activities such as a book sale, a softball tournament and more, the logging show is the main attraction. Some of the favorite events for adults include the boom stick run, where contestants try to run on logs laid across the Rock Creek River without falling, and also the pole fall.
“That one is particularly exciting to watch,” Craig says. “It’s a timed event, a test of accuracy. Contest organizers set out cans, and then the competitor tries to fall the pole log as close to the cans as possible — preferably hitting them.”
The kids’ logging events are also popular. This year, more than 80 young people signed up to compete. Events ranged from firewood stacking and a hard hat toss for the smaller kids to axe throwing and a choker setting contest for the older kids.
“That’s our future workforce,” Craig says. “We want them to get engaged in the process and have fun doing it.”
Spectators line the banks of Rock Creek River to watch the boom stick run.
FINDING THE PERFECT LOGS
This year, we provided 56 logs for the competitions. And Craig is the perfect person to choose them, seeing as he describes his job as “getting the most value out of every stick.”
“Jamboree organizers put in a request for what they need for each event, and I find a nearby stand with trees that meet their specifications,” Craig says. “Local logging contractors and area truckers are always eager to help.”
Each competition requires a different type of log. All logs used for the pole fall must be 48 feet long and somewhat uniform to provide a fair competition for everyone participating. The bottom six feet of each log is buried into the ground, so Craig looks for logs that can be salvaged after the show and cut into quality products. For the choker setting events, Craig looks for big logs that provide a challenge for contestants to jump over. He also sends timber blocks to be used as axe throw targets.
Participants in the Rock Creek River taking part in the boom stick run.
“We've got a contractor in town, Mike Pihl, who's one of the originals from the ‘Ax Men’ television show,” Craig says. “He supports the show every year by bringing his loader to help us. He also does a lot of the field prep, setting up the logs for the choker run and the boom sticks, and doing a lot of other things to make it a successful show.”
Very little wood is wasted at the show. Once the competitions are done, Craig makes sure the remaining full logs get loaded up and sent to the proper destination. Residual blocks are donated to the city, and Vernonia’s parks manager splits them into firewood to share with local families in need.
Future log truck driver?
LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN COMMUNITY
Craig says his efforts to support the community started in the 1990s, when he discovered many of Vernonia’s school kids didn’t spend much time in the forest, even though they lived in the middle of it. So, he got involved, taking students on field trips to plant trees and visit active logging sites.
“I wanted to get kids interested in the forest around them,” Craig says. “We're losing a lot of them to the tech industry, so it’s important to show them that this isn’t just a job. It's a great career.”
Weyerhaeuser’s commitment to the Vernonia community grew alongside Craig’s. In 2014, the school district was awarded a $12,500 grant from the Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund to help strengthen its forestry and natural-resources studies. Today, Craig also serves on several industry boards that provide scholarships and other support — not just for forest engineers and foresters, but for welders, mechanics and other skilled trades.
“Supporting the Jamboree shows we're not just here to log, we're here to support the community and provide a sustainable timber harvest for everybody,” Craig says. “We want to connect and engage with communities where we work. We’re in it for the long term. This means that when I see a five-year-old riding in a log truck in the Jamboree parade, what I really see a future log truck driver.”
