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.