Crowd enjoys successful Logger Days event

...

SOUTH FORK— Guests from all over the region gathered in South Fork over the weekend to enjoy the annual Logger Days Festival. The weekend was filled with intermittent rain showers, but it did not dampen the spirits of festival goers.
Friday night kicked off the weekend with a free concert at the South Fork Visitor Center, hosted in part by the South Fork Music Association. A band out of New Mexico that has been gaining recognition in the area in recent weeks, called the Noseeums, played the night away to a full crowd.
The Outdoor Depot built a new stage and donated it to the Logger Days festival for the live music event. The building was also used for the announcers during the weekend. “A huge shout out goes to Outdoor Depot for their generous donation. Our sponsors really pulled together and made some wonderful things happen this year,” said Visitor Center Director Mark Teders.
Saturday bloomed cool and damp while vendors set up shop at the South Fork Community Center. This year a group of local citizens, as well as the visitor center and business owners came together to plan the annual event in hopes of improving on previous events. The effort of the planning committee paid off as South Fork welcomed one of the biggest crowds for the event in years. There were over 40 vendors lined up all along the parking area outside of the center as well as even more packed inside the building offering everything a shopper could ask for.
There were several times throughout the day that there was standing room only by the event field. People came from all over to see the several events take place, such as the youth and adult ax throwing competitions, men and women’s cross cut, speed cutting and so much more. Teders helped time the event and compiled a list of winners for each event. “We had a really great turnout. I think everyone really enjoyed coming out and having some mid-summer fun,” said Teders.
Sunday was just as busy, with a crowd of about 1,500 people gathering once again at the community center. The local South Fork Fire Department set up in the new pickle ball court and offered cold beverages and free corn hole games for the attending crowd. Rocky Mountain Timber helped by supplying the logs used for the event.
The weekend was a huge success, “Even with all of the fire bans in place and people worried about the fire over by Alamosa, we had a great turnout. I think this was one of the best years yet and we hope to do it again next year,” said Teders.
Winners of each category will be announced after all of the results are complied. Next up for South Fork will be the annual Rhythms on the Rio Music Festival and later the annual Mushroom Foray. For a full list of events, please visit www.southfork.org.