RUMFORD — Rumford’s second annual Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Festival gets underway Thursday, May 8, but the bulk of events carve up most of the day on Saturday, May 10.
The three-day event celebrates Rumford’s and Maine’s wood products and forest industry history in the downtown with a logging equipment parade, contests, activities for all ages, food, a dance and dinner.
Hotel Rumford will host a lumberjack trivia contest at 7 p.m. Thursday.
49 Franklin’s once-a-month party for the arts — Kaleidoscope — offers Lumberjack Tall Tales at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Tall Tales are the traditional logging camp entertainment, Scot Grassette, 49 Franklin co-owner, said via Facebook.
“These are the stories that have entertained folks throughout time, often told by campfire or candlelight, and 49 Franklin’s Mystic Theater will be well lit with candlelight from each table,” he said.
“Tall Tales entries can be a known or common tale, a traditional tale tweaked or told in a unique style, or completely original and fabricated by you. Entrants are asked to just show up ready to tell their tale,” he said.
Last year, there were about six entrants.
“It was a lot of fun,” Grassette said. “We’re hoping to have as many this year.”
Saturday’s lineup starts with a lumberjack breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the American Legion hall.
A parade, featuring antique tractors, skidders, pulp trucks and other machinery, begins at 10 a.m. from the former site of Puiia Lumber Co.
The route passes the Information Center and the Paul Bunyan statue, takes a left on Rumford Avenue, continues past Rumford Public Library, and turns right out of the rotary and across Memorial Bridge. It travels down Congress Street and onto Exchange Street, ending behind the Elks Lodge on River Street.
A Cookie Walk will be held from 10 a.m. until the cookies are gone. Several events begin at 10:30 a.m. The popular Dessert Bake-Off will be held until 2 p.m. Winners will be announced at 2:30 p.m.
Kris Howes, InkMaine owner and artist, said Monday that more than 25 contestants have signed up to participate. Thursday is the last day to sign up, which can be done by stopping by InkMaine at 58 Congress St. in Rumford, calling 364-1550 or messaging Howes via Facebook.
Categories are:
* Cakes (cakes, cupcakes, whoopie pies, etc.)
* Pies (pies, fruit cobblers, etc.)
* Cookies and Squares (cookies, bars, brownies, etc.)
* Sweets and Candy (fudge, chocolates, needhams, small candies, etc.)
First-, second-, and third-place winners receive Bake-Off plaques and cash prizes. A baker can enter one dessert into each category of their choosing. There is a $5 entry fee per category and a limit of 12 contestants per category.
Entry fees go toward funds to be split between winners and supplies for the Bake-Off provided for contestants, who must prepare to serve 40 one-ounce samples, for example, half a cookie, a quarter of a whoopie pie, 1-inch squares, etc., per category entered.
Setup for the Dessert Bake-Off begins at 9:30 a.m. Contestants must be fully set up to serve by 10:15 a.m.
Other events that start at 10:30 a.m. are:
* “Where in Rumford is Paul Bunyan?” contest for children to frequent various downtown stores to look for Paul Bunyan’s picture. A paper, which will be stamped for each picture found, can be exchanged for a prize.
* Henna tattoos and face painting.
* Displays of logging equipment, oxen and antique tractors.
At 11 a.m., there will be a Paul Bunyan & Lucette — Paul’s girlfriend — look-alike contest, wagon rides, a hula hoop contest and a chain saw carving exposition. A pie-eating contest starts at 11:30 a.m., along with Kids Tall Tales Story Writing, and live music by Paul Bunyan and the Lumberjacks.
The ax-throwing contest starts at noon.
It will be followed by a pie-in-the-face throwing contest at 12:30 p.m., a two-person crosscut saw competition at 1 p.m., a facial hair contest at 1:30 p.m., a lumberjack & lumberjill tug of war at 2 p.m., a two-person log race at 2:30 p.m., a strongman competition tractor pull at 3 p.m. at Hotel Rumford and an arm-wrestling competition at 4 p.m., also at the hotel.
From 5:30 p.m. to midnight, there will be a Flannel & Jeans Dinner & Dance at the Eagles club. Dinner is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and the dance starts at 8 p.m.
For more information, contact Tammi Lyons at tlyons@gwi.net or 364-3355.
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- This display of logging equipment in the Praise Assembly of God church window along Congress Street in Rumford is part of Rumford’s second annual Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Festival, May 8-10.
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