As the Emo Fair Logger’s Competition kicked off at 9 a.m. last Friday morning, contestants began sawing frantically through lumber to prove their mettle as the top lumberjack
The Logger’s Competition is a staple of the annual fair. With records of its winners dating back over four decades, it’s become a classic part of the festivities that the township and its visitors have come to expect. Although anyone was welcome to participate, they’d be up against a challenge as seasoned loggers took to their saws and sped through chunks of wood like butter.
This doesn’t mean they weren’t encouraged to get their hands dirty and join the fun. As regular participant and multi-winner Kelvin Caul said, everyone needs to start somewhere.
“I think I started doing it when I was 18; I’m 61 now,” Caul said. “We always try to help out the new guys, and everybody gets along well. We always need some more new guys; we only got one rookie this year, usually we have a couple.”
Although it’s a lighthearted and friendly competition with participants cheering on their rival parties as much as the onlookers, it also honours the heritage of the logging profession, the roots of the industry before heavy machinery outshone the axe and saw.
This year included chain and bucksaw speed challenges, two-man crosscut, chainsaw pole felling, axe log chop, axe throwing and chair carve. The competition would typically also include a tea boil challenge, where each person would need to build a fire and bring a pot of water to a boil as quickly as possible. However, due to current fire restrictions in the area, this was not included in this year’s lineup.
This year’s Top Logger Award went to Gus Hagen of Nestor Falls. Hagen is the proprietor of Falls Hardware Ltd., where the Nestor Falls Winter Carnival held its own logger’s competition.
The Safety Logger Award went to Gary Booth, and the Rookie Award went to Ryan Libiak of Devlin, this year’s sole rookie to the competition.
“It’s a great event, and I’m glad to be out here,” Libiak said. “My kids coaxed me into it, but it’s a great event for the community. If I’m off work next year, I’ll for sure do it again.”
