TIMBERRRRRR! Why you ask? Because it went down in Hayward. The Big Idaho Potato and its band of ‘misfits’ (us) made waves at the 55th Annual World Lumberjack Competition and boy was it fun! There was a unanimous agreement across the team that this event could be one of the best all year. None of us had ever made it to the back woods of Wisconsin to experience such an interesting cultural event. So what is this lumberjack thingy-majig you ask? Well, think of it as a track and field competition combined with the outdoorsy ruggedness of flannel and sharp axes. Needless to say it was intense.
It is also important to mention that we had the honor of working along side a celebrity in the potato biz… Mrs. Laura Martin. That’s right, the big boss lady herself stepped onto the stage as we raised food for the local food banks, learned to log roll, and spread Idaho potato cheer to the thousands of visitors that flocked to the town. We aren’t sure if ‘Mama Bear’ came for the event or to see us. And while we would like to think it was for the latter reason, we all have our suspicions… But regardless of her motives, it was a pleasure to see her in yellow pounding the pavements alongside the Tater Team.
Our weekend was jam-packed full of fun events and it was hard to say good by when the time came. Here is what our time looked like:
-Park the truck and mingle with the initially shocked fans
-Attend a dinner for volunteers and partake in some log rolling (I didn’t fare to well)
-Raise food for the local food banks while giving away prizes
– THREE DAYS of outdoor fun at the lumberjack competition with all of the log rolling, pole climbing and ax swinging we could handle
-Fundraiser pig-roast at a nearby wine house
That doesn’t even cover all of the food, ice cream, fudge and other delights we found in our off time. But maybe I should have left that part out as to not bring attention to our gluttonous ways. But hey, even the Tater Team are humans!
Unfortunately for us our last day in Hayward was cut short by truck issues. Instead of hiking in the serene landscape or kayaking along the river, we saddled up and head for Milwaukee. It seemed sad at the time but we quickly learned that Milwaukee was an unknown gem. And so we continued to march on, saying goodbye to our ‘single serving friends’ while we prepared to meet all of the ones to come.
Ivan the Spud
