Mason County Forest Festival
According to Winnie the Pooh in A.A. Milne’s beloved 1926 book Winnie the Pooh, “You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes”. Taking that advice from Pooh, Etana and I took a day trip to Shelton, Washington to be part of the Mason County Forest Festival.
The first Mason County Forest Festival was first held in 1945 when the residents of the county celebrated the logging industry and to promote the importance of forest fire prevention. This year’s event, “Back to Our Roots”, was the 77th festival. Forest fires had become such a problem throughout the country that the national Smokey the Bear campaign was initiated in 1944. The first known sawmill in the area started business in 1853 on Mill Creek, and there are now seven logging operations in Mason County. On the website for this year’s festival is a fascinating 16-minute video of the history and significance of logging in Shelton made by Anika Davidson, a 22 year old filmmaker who grew up in Shelton and was a video production intern at Evergreen College prior to her recent graduation.
As we drove into town, passing the carnival that had not opened yet, we were welcomed by a group of cheerleaders holding signs directing us to the pancake breakfast at the Central Mason Fire House, station #58. Pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage, juice and coffee were all available in great quantity throughout the morning. By the time we left the breakfast, extra tables were set up due to the increasing size of the crowd. The cost to the public was by donation only. Toy fire fighter hats were available for anyone that wanted one, and very cool adult size t-shirts were also available for purchase. My grandson Nathan would have loved one, but even a size small would not fit him for several years.
Earlier in the day the Goldborough Creek Run/Walk/Jog took place, supporting the Mason General Hospital Foundation. With 2- and 7-mile distances and one quarter mile for children ages 2-8 and seniors over 65, this event is accessible to anyone who is interested and willing to be ready to run, walk or jog as early as 7:00 am.
The prelude to the big parade was the Family and Pet Parade where participants included both people dressed up in a variety of categories and their animals who in some cases were dressed up as well. The Paul Bunyan Grand Parade came next and had the usual participants: the parade’s grand marshal’s car, marching bands, dance teams, and classic cars and the floats with the royal court. But the Paul Bunyan Grand Parade also had monster and logging trucks, huge work trucks, ponies, dancing horses, a goat in a flannel shirt, a motorcycle drill team, a chicken in a stroller (yes really!), and of course Paul Bunyan and Babe, Paul’s companion. Awards are given in several categories including Motorized Vehicles, Spirit, Creativity, Novelty, and Equestrian, among others.
Immediately following the parade, the crowd relocated to Loop Field where the Stihl Timbersports Logging Show and the chainsaw carving took place. Along with the logging and chainsaw events were several food trucks, local non-profit and vendor booths, and a Covid vaccination station. The four chain carvers were members of the Northwest Professional Chainsaw Carvers organization. Although the earliest documentation of chainsaw artistry goes back to the 1951’s, the association of woodcarving and logging events started in the 1980’s.
The logging events included axe throwing, sawing, chopping, log rolling, and speed climbing. The winners of the logging events advance to the U.S. Professional Men and Women’s Championships in Little Rock, Arkansas. Axe throwing was by far the most fascinating, watching the axes thrown 20 feet and hitting a 4-inch bullseye. How did they do that?
Other events took place that we were unable to attend. The festival opened with a carnival on Thursday and Friday afternoons and evening and all day on the weekend. There was a party Saturday evening “Rockin’ the Forest”, with a band, food trucks and a beer garden, followed by fireworks at sundown. On Sunday, the Shelton Car Show-Off and the 27th annual Wood Duck Race closed the festival. Yellow wooden ducks, numbered to correspond with the sponsors name, are dumped over a bridge into Goldsborough Creek. As they cross the finish line, propelled with the creek’s natural flow, race volunteers determine which sponsors win the cash and gift card prizes for the fastest ducks. Once the race is over additional volunteers use nets to collect the ducks. and keep them from flowing into larger bodies of water. I wish we had been there to see this event - it sounds unique.
Throughout the day we had such warm, small town feelings everywhere we went. Each event was staffed by volunteers – the many fire fighters that prepared and served breakfast, the town leaders who made sure everyone felt welcomed, and community members that assured that every detail took place without a hitch. It was obvious that everyone had the same goals – to unite the community, to enjoy each other and to honor and share pride for the town in which they lived.
