Last Friday, August 2nd, my family and took a drive to Cherry Springs State Park in Potter County, Pennsylvania to attend the Woodsmen Show. I had been there for the first time two years ago and thoroughly enjoyed everything it had to offer.
To start, I enjoy this event because of the location. Cherry Springs is a lovely state park full of untouched natural beauty. Besides holding the Woodsmen Show, Cherry Springs is known for its dark skies (it has very little light pollution) which offers great opportunities for stargazing. The air is clear, the surrounding forests are green, and everything feels so lively and natural.
So, after arriving at the park we paid for our arm bands and made our way inside.
They have various vendors selling wooden goodies, handmade crafts, delicious foods, etc.
We found some bleachers and watched a little show where famous lumberjacks, Mike Sullivan and Arden Cogar showed off their ax and saw skills. It was very entertaining, and their skills were super impressive. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see most of the show because we had chosen seats with a terrible view, but from what I could see they were truly amazing.
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Then the quick carving competitions were beginning so we moved across the field to witness this feat. This event features about a dozen chainsaw carvers who have an hour to take a stump of wood and carve something out of it. I loved watching this because these guys (and one lady) were so talented and swift. Some made the usual eagles and bears, but a few ventured to make things I’d never seen before such as: a horse peeking from a tree, a cardinal, and a colorful gnome-like house. I was mesmerized by the carvers for the whole hour and, before I knew it, their time was up. The pieces are later auctioned off to benefit the sponsors of the Woodsmen Show, The Galeton Rotary Club.
Here are some pictures from the quick carve competition:
After this we looked around a little at the creations and stations of the carvers from the competition. They had some truly amazing pieces. I had already picked out my favorite carvers the first day, and couldn’t wait to see them again Sunday.
Here are some more interesting carvings:
A unicorn! The most creative carving I saw there : )
It was a fantastic day, full of brilliant sights and kind people. As we were about to leave, something, or should I say someone, caught my eye and demanded that I check it out before abandoning the event. And, I am so thankful I did (stay tuned for my later posts for information on this sweet surprise).
Stars From Another Galaxy 