South Fork Logger Days confirmed for July 2021

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The annual South Fork Logger Days will be coming back after a year off this summer. The annual event highlights South Fork's logging history and offers a unique family-oriented event that everyone can enjoy with several competitions, family activities, vendors and more.

SOUTH FORK — South Fork’s Loggers Days event is being planned for July. Exact dates are still being worked out by the committee.

South Fork has a rich history surrounding the logging industry and for over 20 years the town has embraced its historical heritage through the annual event. Last year, due to COVID-19 safety precautions, the event was canceled but hopes are high that year’s event can move forward with some additional precautions in place.

South Fork was incorporated in 1992 yet was established as a stage stop along the rigorous trail leading north to Creede in 1870. It began as a place for travelers to rest along their journey, catch a bite to eat and continue on their way.

After the railroad came to South Fork in 1882, a new type of industry bloomed out of the forests surrounding the one stop town. Lumber from the area became a staple for the community of settlers that had gathered there. In what seemed to some as an overnight industry, the timber and sawmills took over much of the area.

The mills produced lumber for railways and mining communities nationwide. Due to the timber industry and Creede's silver boom, the area became a destination place for rich persons seeking a Colorado experience. People came from all around to hunt, fish and stay in the wilderness.

South Fork has come a long way through the past and into the present. The lumber boom is over, and it has left a mountain destination with a wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities in its place. In the years since the lumber boom, South Fork has come to enjoy the rich history in the area and celebrate in unique and original ways.

To celebrate South Fork's history that surrounds the town, a festival was created several years ago to pay homage to the lumber trade that created the community that resides there today. The Logger’s Day festival is full of entertainment based on the logging trade and the men and woman that worked the trade in the past.

The festival kicks off in mid-July with a craft fair that will run throughout the weekend. Vendors from all over come to sell their wares, food and arts to the public. Many booths will feature handmade jewelry, sculptures, and paintings, a unique touch to the typical shopping experience.

On Saturday the fun starts with axe throwing, the plunge cut, timed wood chopping, and many more. The competitors are competing for over $1,000 in cash prizes. After the logging competitions, there will be fun activities for the while family such as horseshoe games and more.

Sunday is dubbed to be the most exciting day of the festival featuring several more logging events. An overall award for the Saturday and Sunday events will be given to an amateur winner. Sunday will feature, speed cutting, two man crosscut, and a choker race.

Children activities will be available for the younger crowd such as creating crafts, a saw dust pile full of hidden treasures and more. More details about the event will be announced as the date draws closer but for now, knowing that the event will be taking place is enough for the small mountain town.