'Keep it moving': Woodchoppers Jamboree a success for 52 years and counting thanks to community volunteer efforts

As Father’s Day weekend approaches, so does the 53rd annual Woodchoppers Jamboree, a long-running event held in Encampment notorious for delivering loads of fun for the whole family.

“It’s a unique event for people with ties to the lumber industries to show case their skills,” said Doreen Harvey, who has been chairing the event with her husband for the past nine years.

The Woodchoppers Jamboree begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and again at 9 a.m. Sunday in Encampment.

Those who plan to attend can expect to see lumberjacks competing for cash prizes in events like the power saw log, pole throw, power saw log bucking and much more.

The event always draws a large crowd and is fun for the whole family, Harvey said. But the events would not be successful without the large amount of volunteers who help out each year to make the event a success.

“We certainly are not the only part of this,” Harvey said. “It is truly a community event. It is scores of volunteers that make this happen.”

Harvey said the Woodchoppers Jamboree in Encampment is comprised of several different components and several events occurring at the same time.

To keep things running smoothly, volunteers have to step in and take some initiative, said long-time Wood choppers volunteer Bob Herring.

“We try to run the show inside the arena and keep it moving,” he said.

Herring said he has been volunteering for at least 40 years. He first started out as a Lions Club member, but continued to volunteer, even after he ceased to be an active member.

Herring said he has and continues to volunteer alongside with Dan Christensen and Robin Blake, individuals who have also volunteered their services to keep the jamboree running smoothly.

At any given time during the jamboree, Herring, Christensen and Blake are staying in the background helping set up the events, announcing events from the booth or helping clean up competition areas.

“What you don’t see is two or three people working in one event, setting up for the next event,” Herring said. “We are trying to set up for the next event so the next contestants don’t have to wait.”

The volunteers work to make sure things run smoothly as possible, but Herring said there have been some years where it was difficult due to lack of volunteers.

“When you do have a lot of help, things go a lot better,” he said. But everyone, even the contestants when needed, are not shy about lending a helping hand.

“We have had excellent contestants over the years that have helped, and even some that have announced during the show,” Herring said.

Although volunteers are important, everyone else, including spectators and contestants are all just as important, Herring said.

“We could have all the volunteers in the world and all the good wood, but without the contestants it’s nothing, and also the other way around,” Herring said. “We all work together to but on a great, fun show.”