Wood chips fly at Connellsville event
CONNELSVILLE – With an ear-splitting roar and a jet of sawdust, lumberjacks in the “hot saw” competition at the 9th annual Timber Days gave the crowd something to cheer about on a rain-soaked and chilly Saturday at Yough River Park. The competition was one of several throughout the day as part of the event hosted by the Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce. Early rains and the threat of storms dampened the turnout, but people still packed the bleachers to watch the wood chips fly.
“It started a little slow because of the rain, but now it’s fine. They got really into and cheered and stomped and we had all the bleachers full except for a few empty spots,” said announcer Bill Gillespie, a forester from West Virginia who announces about 20 lumberjack competitions nationwide each summer, including two world championships.
The muddy park was packed with food booths, children’s games, a stage for live bands and arts and crafts, but the unquestioned center of attention was the area roped off for the lumberjack competitions and the top draw was local lumberjack Harry Burnsworth.
“You’ve got a real attraction in Connellsville in him,” Gillespie said. “Harry enters all the big contests himself. Everyone knows him; everyone likes him, and so they come to the show for that reason.”
And on Saturday, Burnsworth did not disappoint, setting a new record in the hot saw competition for 16-inch wood. He started his saw and made three cuts in 4.22 seconds. He also set the record for 20-inch wood at the Timber Days four years ago.
“It adds stress because you want to do well here for the local people,” Burnsworth said after competing. “If I can, what I like to do is place in all events so I can be here for tomorrow.”
The Mill Run native has been involved in the sport for 25 years. He placed 6th in the nation in the Stihl Series this year and won every hot saw race that he’s entered.
Gillespie has seen a lot of competitors in his time as announcer, but holds Burnsworth in high esteem.
“He’s just as good as they come,” he said. “He’ll beat you at any contest if you make a mistake.”
Burnsworth, who has helped the chamber prepare the event each year, said he likes bringing in high-level competition to his own backyard – most of the time.
“I like bringing them in ’till they beat me,” he said, laughing.
For those who showed up to watch the hot saw competition Saturday, most became quite accustomed to holding their hands over their ears to block out the sound of revving supercharged chainsaws.
“You see a lot of people pull their earplugs out,” said Kathy Trump of Connellsville. “That’s how you can tell which ones are regulars; they have the earplugs.”
Trump was director of the Chamber of Commerce when Timber Days got its start nine years ago. The idea, she said, was to pay tribute to an industry that is such a large part of the area’s heritage.
“We wanted to have something that would be unique to Connellsville,” she said.
“You see surrounding communities like Mount Pleasant has a glass festival and Scottdale has their heritage days and we wanted something that would be unique to the area. We thought, what better industry then the timber industry?”
Trump said the chamber has done a “wonderful job” in growing the event and that it has more vendors, crafts and things for kids since the festival first started.
“It’s grown a lot every year,” she said. “We see more people coming out to support the chamber and the city. They’ve really built it up.”
So with rain limiting the crowds Saturday, those who did show up were optimistic that today’s better weather would translate into fewer empty seats.
“There’s three things that kept the crowds down,” Gillespie said. “It’s raining and real windy; they didn’t even know if it was going to be held because of the rain; and it’s the first day of football season. That’s a lot of competition, but tomorrow’s another day.”