'Jacked up: Lumberjack show is an Alaska State Fair staple

Aug. 28, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

PALMER - Nothing gets a crowd of Alaskan fair-goers fired up like the sight of axes slicing through the air or the smell of chain saw exhaust wafting on the breeze.

Equal parts entertainment and competition, the Fred Scheer's Lumberjack Show at the Alaska State Fairgrounds is in &#8220full swing,” with a crew of world-class lumberjacks competing in nearly a dozen contests designed to show off the skills needed to take down even the mightiest of trees.

&#8220It's using the tools or techniques the old lumberjacks used when they were harvesting,” show emcee Jim Hadley said before Monday's show.

Shows run three times each day through the duration of the fair, and feature three flannel-clad lumberjacks competing in 10 events ranging from axe throwing to tree climbing and - always a fan favorite - log rolling.

Audience participation is encouraged at lumberjack shows, and the crowd Monday was divided into three groups, each of which assigned a specific lumberjack to cheer for. Fans also got a chance to learn and practice their &#8220lumberjack cheer,” a hearty &#8220yo-ho!” designed to encourage the competitors as they chopped, sawed and tiptoed their way through the events.

On Monday, lumberjacks Adam Lasalle, Andrew Johnson and Cassidy Scheer did their finest to both best each other in the various competitions as well as stay - for the most part - in the crowd's good graces.

During the first event, the underhand chop, LaSalle appeared to beat Scheer by using a razor-sharp axe to hack his way through a foot-thick log. But after Lasalle was disqualified for an incomplete cut, Scheer was declared the winner, much to the disdain of the pro-Scheer factions in the audience.

&#8220He started early!” yelled one woman.

&#8220Hey lady, zip it,” Cassidy fired back.

The exchange with the burly logger shut the heckler up, garnering laughter from the rest of the crowd.

Not all fans Monday were in a jeering mood. Several of the women in the crowd giggled and squealed throughout as the lumberjacks flexed their thick forearms and wiggled their backsides at the crowd.

Julie Janson, of Dayton, Ohio, said she enjoyed the athletic events fine, but said her favorite part was simply ogling the competitors.

&#8220The boys are easy on the eyes,” Janson said.

Janson, along with friends Kate Williams of New York City and Brenda Williams of LaQuinta, Calif., took time after the show to get autographs from their favorite competitors - though Kate Williams said she neglected to get any phone numbers.

&#8220That's for the next show,” she said.

While the women enjoyed the competitors themselves, they also said the athleticism needed to complete the numerous events was impressive as well.

&#8220It was fantastic,” Janson said. &#8220They've got some really cool skills.”

Other events in the roughly 45-minute show included the axe throw, the &#8220single man buck” sawing competition, an obstacle course, a speed chain saw cutting contest, the tree climb and - as a grand finale - a log rolling contest in which two competitors fought to see which could stay upright on a wet, spinning log.

In between events, the lumberjacks played to the crowd, hamming up the idea that they were roughhousing, hard-drinking sorts bent on beating each other's brains out. In truth, the competitors are world-class athletes who spend their summers touring the country, plying their trade for audiences at fairs and carnivals across the nation.

&#8220It's coast to coast,” Jim Hadley said.

While the shows go on throughout the summer, Hadley said the Alaska State Fair show - which is also sponsored by Spenard Builder's Suppy - is always a special one for the group.

&#8220This is the jewel of the shows for us,” he said.

Hadley said the weather, scenery and people in Alaska make coming to the state fair something the group looks forward to all year.

&#8220The people here just get it,” he said. &#8220This is definitely a spot we all enjoy coming to.”

Lumberjack Adam Lasalle said that while the competitors do their best to put on a good show, there's also a big element of friendly competition that plays into each event. In addition to being performers, each of the three lumberjacks performing this year have also competed in national-level competitions where the stakes are much higher.

&#8220When it gets to the real events, we're going hard,” Lasalle said.

And while the participants are all friends and coworkers in the show, Lasalle said that each man definitely wants to put on the best show.

&#8220We've got a little tally sheet we keep,” he said.

But it's not all work and competition. While in Alaska, the lumberjacks also took time to do a little fishing, and Lasalle said each member of the group caught his limit of silver salmon Monday morning before the show. Being able to travel to places like Alaska, he said, is one of the biggest reasons he continues to ply his unique trade.

&#8220It's a pretty fun summer job,” he said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com