Loggerodeo chainsaw carving competition underway

SEDRO-WOOLLEY - Before you see Loggerodeo's chainsaw carving competition, you hear it.

The buzz of 16 chainsaws cuts through downtown Sedro-Woolley from blocks away.

At a fenced-off lot at State and Murdock streets, the air is thick with sawdust as carvers sculpt shapes out of thick redwood and cedar logs.

Some of the forms emerging Wednesday morning included a horse, a knight, a buffalo and the Statue of Liberty.

People could watch the carvers as they worked, as well as purchase some of their finished work around the perimeter of the competition.

Out-of-state carvers traveled from Argentina, Canada, Oregon, Idaho, Wisconsin, Iowa and California. The competition is a national and international draw for Sedro-Woolley.

"The Sedro-Woolley Carving Championship is one of the top events anywhere,"carver coordinator and pro carver George Kenny said in the Loggerodeo program. "The last few years I've had world-class carvers contacting me wanting to come who've never participated here before because they want to compete against the best of the best."

Among the competitors this year are carving world champions, Carvers Walk of Fame members, and artists whose work has appeared anywhere from Disney film sets to Food Network shows.

"This is a prestigious show," carver Denny Henson said in the Loggerodeo program. "I look forward to competing against some of the best carvers in the world."

The carving competition runs through Saturday, with carvers working on their main sculptures throughout the day and participating in daily quick carves where their work is auctioned off after completion. Their sculptures will be judged Saturday.

Judges score the work on artistic impact, design, material use, difficulty and craftsmanship, with top honors going to the five best quick carves and main sculptures, as well as a People's Choice award, Carver's Choice award and an award for the piece the brings the highest bid at auction.

Other Loggerodeo events scheduled for Thursday through Saturday include a parade, rodeos, vendors, beard and mullet contests, a logging expo and fireworks.

The full schedule can be found at loggerodeo.org.

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