Payson’s Sawdust Festival

Lumberjacks are men who harvest lumber from the forests. In Northern Arizona lumberjacks were once many in numbers. Payson, Arizona was one of the most active logging communities in the past. Today, however, the lumberjacks have all but vanished. Their jobs are gone and replaced by modern technology. In tribute to this past honorable profession, Payson Parks and Recreation holds the ‘Sawdust Festival’ to commemorate our history and heritage. This Festival is held in May of each year and is a family oriented event. This year the Festival was held on May 23rd and 24th, 2009. As an intern with the Parks and Recreation Department, I was not involved in the planning of this event but was active with the implementation of the many events and activities.

This annual event known as the Sawdust Festival pays tribute to the numerous skills associated with being a lumberjack. The work of a lumberjack, or logger, was difficult and hard. They used common equipment such as the axe and the crosscut saw. When the day’s work was over, the lumberjacks invented games for themselves and made sport out of their work. Contestants in the Festival participated in many events replicating the skills once used by the lumberjacks. These events tested the strength, logging abilities, accuracy, endurance, and skills of the contestants. Contestants also participated in fun filled games similar to the games lumberjacks once enjoyed.

My main involvement with this Festival was setting up all the event areas. This required the placement of logs, the spreading of sawdust, and arranging the axes and crosscut saws. I was responsible for making sure that each event had the components necessary for the competition to take place. Once the set up was completed, I was involved with making the events run smoothly. If something was missing, or needed, it was my duty to take care of those issues.

Welcome to Payson (P-Town)

I am at the start of my Senior Internship with the Town of Payson Parks and Recreation Department. I am experiencing what life is like in a small town. Everyone in this rural town knows my name even before I have a chance to introduce myself. I like the friendly nature of the people and truly enjoy the cooler weather. I am working hard and love everything I am learning. Everyone here is incredibly nice and extremely welcoming.

The Payson Parks and Recreation Department is having me shadow different workers in each of the sub-departments for a short period of time. So far, I am able to experience what is involved to organize a youth sports program. I have learned to schedule and run events at the rodeo grounds (Equestrian department). I am assisting with the organization of opening the Taylor Swimming Pool for the summer season. There is so much that goes into running a town’s parks and recreation department.

Check out the web site to see everything that is going on in Payson. http://www.paysonrimcountry.com/Activities/ParksRec/tabid/294/Default.aspx

The goal of the Payson Parks and Recreation Department is to provide recreational and cultural activities for the community as well as hosting special events. We are always striving to bring new and improved programs and events to the town of Payson. This mission is reflected within Payson’s recreational activities that aim to facilitate play, recreation, and leisure time through cultural actives and special events. Payson’s target customers include all members of its community. It provides a variety of recreational activities for all stages of life. This is demonstrated by the following activities: Mother and Tot swim lessons, youth and adult sports, masters swim team, and a summer concerts series. In addition, Payson implements many special events that are accessible for all ages. I will be blogging about each event as they occur. I am looking forward to increasing my knowledge base as I explore the various aspects of Payson’s Parks and Recreation Department. I am having a great summer in P-Town.