Clarkson welcomes all Lumberjacks and Jills

For the third year, lumberjacks and lumberjills will be converging on Clarkson to take part in a competition during Good Neighbor Day.

Kevin Holtz, president of the New York State Lumberjack Association, said there are six competitions in New York and Clarkson is the one that comes closest to the Rochester area. "The Clarkson event seems to be catching on," he said. "We are adding new events and the level of competitors has gotten higher each year."

Holtz said that the Clarkson timber sports event draws competitors from central Ontario and from the northeastern United States. "The event in Clarkson was the brainchild of Paul Kimball," Holtz explained. "His son was in timber sports in college with me and that's where the idea came from to have a competition in Clarkson."

Holtz has been lumberjacking since 1995. "I started in college and really got into the history, tools and techniques of the sport," he said. "It's not an easy range of skills to master and it's the challenge that definitely keeps me in the sport."

The events lined up in the timber sports competition include: underhand chop, springboard chop, two person cross cut, ax throwing, log rolling, hot saw (modified chain saw), single buck and bow saw. Holtz explained that the "hot saw" involves taking a production chain saw - one you buy off a shelf and making into a "raging beast" or taking something that was never intended to be a chain saw - like a snowmobile engine, putting a bar and chain on it and calling it a chain saw. The springboard event, Holtz said, is one of the toughest events. "There is so much that can go wrong while you're up there," he said. "Up there" involves beginning at the bottom of a nine-foot tall pole, chopping a pocket into the bottom, sticking in a board, standing on that board, chopping another pocket, etc. until you reach the top. "At the top of the pole is a block that has to be chopped. It's a tough event."

Men and women show up for the timber sports events in almost equal numbers, Holtz said. "The women's end of the sport is growing tremendously. I think it might be because a lot of colleges are offering the sport."

Pre-registration to participate in the event is required.

The language of the lumberjack
As unique as the sport of lumberjacking is, it comes with its own unique language. What follows is a bit of a lingo primer for the uninitiated and for those who intend on watching the competition during the Good Neighbor Day festivities. This is a short list of the lumberjack "cut-up" slang.

• A lumberjack is a man who participates in the sport of log cutting.
• A lumberjill is a woman who participates.
• Bowsaw or Swedesaw: has one person using a pulp saw to cut through a chunk of wood. A pulp saw features a 42-inch blade and the chunk of wood is usually 12 inches thick.
• Ax throwing: this activity involves throwing a double bit ax at a bull's eye target positioned 20 feet away.
• Cross cut: this competition involves two people using a cross cut saw to work their way through the log.
• Single buck: features female competitors at the helm of the saw.
• Modified chain saw or hot saw: anything goes as far as what the competitor puts into their saw's muffler system. This is a "souped-up" chainsaw.
• Underhand: this event has the participant standing on a block of wood and cutting between their feet to cut through the log.
• Springboard: competitors (this is a male dominated event) make their way to the top of a pole by chopping a foothold into the log, inserting a springboard, hopping up onto the springboard and chopping another until they make their way to the platform at the top of the pole.

Frog jumping, pie competition, food and music on tap
Bring your own frog day to Clarkson for the Good Neighbor Day's frog jumping contest. "The frog jumping draws a lot of spectators and participants," Supervisor Paul Kimball said of the unique, old fashioned festival element.

In addition to the hopping good time offered at the frog track, visitors to the August 27 and 28 event will be able to test their skills on a rock climbing wall, if they so desire, and can view the lumberjack competition, a custom motorcycle show, antique tractor and vehicle cruise-in, enjoy food, music and much more.

"This year we also have a pie/dessert contest," Kimball said. Pies and desserts are to be dropped off between 5 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 28. Judging will begin at 6:30 p.m. The submissions will be judged on: appearance, taste and texture and will be judged in a "blind" test.

Good Neighbor Day kicks off with musical entertainment taking to the stage from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, August 27 as a prelude to Saturday's full day of events. The concert will benefit Mercy Flight, Kimball said. On Saturday, the gates open at 8 a.m. and the day begins with a pancake breakfast sponsored by the Brockport Fire Department that runs until 10 a.m. The day ends at 10 p.m. with a fireworks display.

A fishing derby for youth ages four to 15 runs from 10 a.m. until noon. There is no charge for the fishing derby.

"The lumberjack events have really grown since we started them three years ago," Kimball said. "We already have 45 contestants and we have a new event - competitive pole climbing - and we already have 12 contestants signed up for that alone."

Good Neighbor Day has been happening since 1990 and according to Kimball, nearly all of the events are free from parking, the petting zoo and admission. "There is a nominal charge for some of the children's activities," Kimball said.

V-8 Club displays vintage cars at cruise-in
As part of Clarkson's Good Neighbor Day, members of the Western New York V-8 Club have sent invitations to car buffs across the region to come and be part of the cruise-in event. Last year, Supervisor Paul Kimball said he put a small ad in a local publication inviting car enthusiasts to bring their vehicles to an impromptu cruise-in event at Good Neighbor Days and more than 50 cars showed up.

Dick Cannioto, a member of the V-8 Club, said that pre-registration isn't necessary and urges anyone with a vintage car to come down to the cruise-in event and show off their vehicle. "We do have 100 dash plaques for those who attend," he said.

The six hour cruise-in is not judged. It is just a way for individuals with vintage and antique vehicles to come and show them off. "It's a way to come talk to a neighbor, kick a tire and talk about cars," Cannioto said. "But we're trying to make this the 'super bowl' of cruise-ins.

The show, sponsored by the V-8 Club, runs from noon to six during Clarkson Good Neighbor Day.

All aboard the 'Four Corners' tour bus
As part of the Good Neighbor Day festivities, the members of the Clarkson Historical Society have put together a "Four Corners" bus tour. "The tour gives visitors the opportunity to view some of the historic houses in the town," Historian Leanna Hale said.

Clarkson boasts 24 houses on the national Historic Register and 40 on the State Register, Hale said. The bus tour will take visitors around the town to see and hear tidbits of historic lore. "The tour will help raise the consciousness of the four corners of our town," Hale said. "There are also a lot of people who can't do the walking tour of the houses that we offer in the winter so this bus trip gives them an opportunity to experience our heritage."

Hale said that Clarkson is almost the "mother" of Brockport because Clarkson was settled first. "Even Brockport founder Heil Brockway had a business in the town of Clarkson before he bought property in the village."

The cost of the bus tour is $5, seating is limited so advance reservations are suggested. Reservations can be made by calling Sheryl de Jonge at 395-1674. Checks can be mailed to de Jonge at 8254 Ridge Road West, Brockport, NY. The bus tours begin at noon and run every hour until 3 p.m. The bus leaves from Hafner Park, where the Good Neighbor Day festivities are being held. Hale said the money raised from the tours will go toward the Clarkson Schoolhouse Restoration project.

The making of a festival
The booths have barely been disassembled when the planning for the next Clarkson Good Neighbor Day festival begins. In the months immediately following the event, committee members meet once a month but the activity heats up in the three months prior and the committee gathers at least twice a month to make certain planning is going along without any hitches.

Town of Clarkson Supervisor Paul Kimball, who chairs the Good Neighbor Day event, said that less than one month after the lumberjacks have packed up their axes and the classic cars are back in their heated garages, the committee will be meeting to discuss the 2005 event. "Planning truly starts almost the day the event is over," Kimball said. "In terms of getting people together and gathering our core group, it is a constant year-long effort."

Clarkson is continually able to add new and different activities to its Good Neighbor Day because of the ideas of people who come to the table. "We get a lot of new people who come to the meetings and who are willing to champion the events," he said. "That's why we are always expanding and offering new activities."

Most town, county or village-sponsored events in the area include arts, crafts, rides, food and other vendor booths but the lumberjack contest that Clarkson plays host to is truly unique, Kimball said. "A couple of years ago I brought the idea of a lumberjack competition to the committee because we were looking for something unique to fill a niche and make our event stand out," he explained. "Because my son was involved in that kind of competition, I knew who to contact and from there we added those events."

When the lumberjack competition became part of Clarkson's Good Neighbor Day, the town had to make the decision to switch the usual dates of their event to accommodate the circuit schedule of the competitors.

Even though the event is almost fully planned for this year, Kimball said the committee needs volunteers for the day of the event on August 28 and that donations are still being accepted for the silent auction. Money raised from the silent auction is used to defray the costs of the Good Neighbor Day event. Individuals interested in volunteering can call Kimball at 637-4079.