The Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days is a weekend of exciting and competitive lumberjack and heavy equipment contests, demonstrations, chainsaw carving, horse pulling and fun and games.

Each year, during the second weekend in July, the Tupper Lake Municipal Park becomes home to all lumberjacks and their families, as well as for the thousands of spectators who flock to the area to witness the events. Whether it's your first time joining in the excitement, or whether you're a regular to the weekend celebration, you're guaranteed a weekend to remember.

The annual Woodsmen's Days in Tupper Lake came into being in 1980 when a small number of local volunteers put together a one-day celebration. Since its beginning, there's been no stopping the imagination of the association members as they work all year long to bring new and exciting events to the celebration. Today, the Woodsmen's Days is ranked as one of the north country's largest and most anxiously awaited events.

At the Woodsmen's Days you'll find a number of activities designed to keep the entire family busy. In the grandstand area, amateur lumberjack events are staged as contestants vie for the honor of being named the Lumberjack of the Year. Scattered around the rest of the area, stretching to the lake front, you'll find heavy equipment operators competing for the title of Heavy Equipment Operator of the Year. In addition, demonstrations of the latest state-of-the art woods machinery are an on going attraction all weekend long as are an array of food booths, games, and other scheduled events for all ages.

The official kick-off of the exciting weekend each year takes place at the annual banquet on the Friday preceding the weekend. A relaxing atmosphere, combined with excellent food and good conversation, finds competitors and friends striking up new friendships and renewing old ones. The festive atmosphere of the evening always seems to set the mood for the weekend activities.

The business district of town is the place to be the following morning and you'll want to be there early to find a spot to settle in for one of the most gigantic parades in the north country. Marching bands and floats along with one of the largest convoys of log trucks and logging equipment ever assembled pass by as they make their way to the Municipal Park where the weekend activities take place.

Lumberjacks show off their expertise in various amateur woodsmen's competitions all that afternoon including open and modified chain sawing, cross cut and buck saw matches, log rolling with peavies on land, axe throwing, human log skidding, tree felling, and the horizontal log chop. There is also a four-man team event, which combines various lumberjack and heavy equipment operator skills.

Growing in popularity, as well as in the number of competitors each year since they made their debut in 1987, are chainsaw sculpturing demonstrations, contests and auctions.

When the day's competitions come to a close late Saturday afternoon, the woodsmen and their families and friends get together for some good old fashioned fun. Featured that evening are tug-of-war competitions and the favorite, slippery, grimy, greased pole climb along with plenty more surprises.

On Sunday, loading and truck driving contests along with a skidder competition give some of the best heavy equipment operators in the area a chance to demonstrate their skills. There's also the annual Pony Pull and the Adirondacks' "Largest Horse Pull" during which teams and their owners, from states all over the northeast, compete for prize money. Each year the events attract thousands of fans.

Scattered around the park over the two days are numerous exhibits and machinery dealers and all sorts of food vendors, games and demonstrations.

If you are interested in participating in an event or setting up as a vendor please contact the Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Association at (518) 359-9444 or the Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce at 888-887-5253 or 518-359-3328 or go here for more info.

NOTE 1: Text from the Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Day 1995 program.
NOTE 2: Photos of Lumberjack Days in Orofino, Idaho obtained from http://www.valley-internet.net/cleartrib/oci/ocieve.htm

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