Woodcarvers show off skills at Frederick’s Chainsaws and Chuckwagons

Sawdust was flying at Centennial Park this weekend, and the Frederick community enjoyed every second of it during the town’s 11th annual Chainsaws and Chuckwagons.

At the festival, which started Wednesday and ended Saturday evening, guests enjoyed seeing talented woodcarvers display their craft up close as 10 competitors battled to create a winning sculpture.

Visitors could also enjoy the “chuckwagons” aspect of the event, with food trucks that served burgers, kettle corn, shaved ice and more stationed around the park, 630 Eighth St.

Event coordinator Jessica Hill explained Chainsaws and Chuckwagons grew out of the town’s hot air balloon festival, which originally offered some elements of woodcarving.

“Our community loved it so much that it became its own thing and its own event,” Hill said.

This year, the 10 woodcarvers represented Colorado, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Oregon and Kentucky. Shane Green even traveled all the way to Frederick from Yorkshire, England, to join the competition for the first time.

“I came with no tools, no equipment,” Green said. “(The carvers gave) so much advice, so much assistance. They’re a little like family. In the U.K., it’s the same. You look out for each other.”

The contestants’ carvings were similarly diverse — a collage of musical instruments, a table made of tiki heads and totems of birds and bears. Carvers had four days to craft their pieces and have them ready to be voted on Saturday afternoon.

“This is one of the first competitions I ever did,” said contestant Justin Driver, from Kentucky, who just spent his sixth year at the festival. “I’ve never been to a show so many times in a row, but I love Colorado, and I love Frederick.”

Both the Carvers’ Choice and People’s Choice awards went to Oregon carver Chris Foltz for “The Spirit of Halloween.” His massive wooden sculpture of a pumpkin-headed scarecrow dazzled both festival guests and his fellow carvers enough to win the top spot in both categories.

This year also marks the second time the festival has featured the Axe Women Loggers of Maine, an all-female team of logging sports athletes. Two members of the team pulled in big crowds Saturday with shows that included ax throwing, speedy chainsaw demonstrations and a contest for who could balance longest on a floating log.

Mike Wetherbee, who emceed the show, thanked the Frederick community for welcoming the group for a second year.

“We are so psyched that they wanted us back,” Wetherbee said in an address to the crowd. “This is a great area. We love coming here.”

Of the 10 carvings, the ones that don’t go to certain sponsors or lucky customers are placed in the town’s Art in Public Places Program. A walk through the town, especially around Centennial Park, gives people the opportunity to see several previous entries.

“Having those carvings stay in Frederick … it’s another bonding point for the community and it just brings us all closer together,” Hill said.