SOUTH FORK - Spectators gathered on Friday, July 18, in South Fork for a weekend of logging competitions, both collegiate and professional. The weather was the perfect combination of summer heat and cool afternoons thanks to several short showers of rain. 

Friday kicked off with collegiate competitors who gathered in the Logger Days arena just north of South Fork. They competed for top positions in several different categories including Axe Throwing, Crosscut, Speed Cutting, just to name a few.  

This year the events included a birling pool, also known as logrolling, which made for great entertainment for competitors and the attending crowd. This event entails two people standing on logs floating in water, the winner being the last one standing or the one who can stay on the longest. 

The South Fork Community Center and parking area was packed with vendors from all over the U.S. Along with the many vendors, several food trucks were offering delectable food, cold drinks and sweet treats. 

Saturday bloomed fresh and cool thanks to the rain from the night before, offering the spectators and competitors a reprieve from the heat of the previous day. The sound of chainsaws rented the air as competitions got underway. 

South Fork has a rich history in logging beginning in the mid-1800s as a logging community and stage stop for the Balow and Sanderson Stage. The community is surrounded by thousands of acres of forest which made it the perfect location to begin logging industries that supplied the mining communities of Creede and Summitville and then later the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. 

The weekend was a wonderful success ending with the professional finalists competing for the top spot on Sunday. Next up for South Fork will be the annual Alder Ass Race and Hog Roast at the end of August. For more information or a full schedule of events, visit www.southfork.org.