A jamboree to remember

Over Father's Day weekend, the Encampment valley was filled with the sounds of applause, the roar of chainsaws and the whinnies of horses. They eventually all faded away following the 62nd Woodchoppers' Jamboree and Rodeo at the Encampment-Riverside Lions Club Arena.

Hundred of visitors arrived to the small villages of Encampment and Riverside, ready to enjoy a weekend of entertainment and fun. The melodrama "An Orphan Betrayed," performed by the ever-skillful Grand Encampment Opera Company. The actors set the tone for the weekend with their first performance on Wednesday evening and two showings on Friday and Saturday evening. The event, an annual fundraiser for the opera company, was well attended.

Saturday morning found crowds settling for a pancake breakfast hosted by the Encampment Volunteer Fire Department. At 9 a.m., the Woodchopper's Jamboree Parade made its way through Encampment. Moving down 6th Street, it turned on McCaffrey Avenue where the candy and other goodies began to fly through the air to the delight of parade attendees lining the street. The world famous can-can girls from the Grand Encampment Opera Company made their way through the parade, planting big kisses on the male attendees and even chased a few to give them a proper smooch.

Before lunch, the lumberjack competition was off to a roaring start. In the same tradition set 62 years prior, competitors faced off in categories which tested their skills with the chainsaw, axe throwing, pole tossing, handsaws, choker setting and wood chopping. Both the jamboree and rodeo appeared to be well attended, with cars overflowing from the rodeo grounds parking and down Highway 70 towards Riverside.

By all appearances, it was a successful weekend for the annual Father's Day event.