One of the biggest and most popular events in the Peace region happens this weekend, as the sixteenth Chetwynd International Chainsaw Carving Championship gets underway.
This is the first time since 2019 that the event has been held, having been cancelled due to Covid the last two years.
Chris Larsen, President of Chetwynd International Chainsaw Carving Championship Society says this year, there’s a lot of new carvers, and a lot of returning champions. “I’m more excited than ever to see what they’re going to create.”
Larsen and the ten member volunteer committee took over the organization of the event back in 2016.
The competition has been held on the second weekend of June since it was started, and is considered one of the best managed and most welcoming carving events in the world today. “It is a family friendly weekend, free for the public to attend, with plenty of food and craft vendors, and sponsor booths from all over the Peace region, for every age to enjoy,” says Larsen.
Construction on the new library was slated to start this week, too, but is being put off until after the event is over. “There should be lots of room down there for everybody,” says Larsen.
People who haven’t been to the area for the last couple of years will find a new splash park in the area, something for the kids to do if it gets hot.
Larsen says there are going to be 12 carvers this year. “We’re going to have five International participants this year, and three from the US, so that’s a little different, as there’s typically four from Canada, four from the US and four international carvers.”
And while people can drop by at any time during when the carving is happening to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the event, Sunday afternoon is a great time to show up, as the carvings will be judged, and all the carvers will compete in a 90 minute quick carve competition.
And, while the event will be mostly the same as it has been in previous years, they have made a few nods to Covid, adding in an enlarged spectator area for the quick carve competition. “Just to make sure that we’re not stacking people too deep.”
But to experience the true event, Larsen suggests people attend every day, or at least on Friday and then Sunday. “To see the progression from beginning to end? To see how far those blocks of wood have come since the first day? It’s pretty amazing.”
This year’s carvings will wind up on Carver’s Row in Chetwynd until next year’s event. While Larsen likes the carvings from 2019, he’s glad to see them finally move on after three years.
“The main competition pieces all become part of the District of Chetwynd after the competition. Occasionally, some have gone off to other towns like Tumbler Ridge. But most stay, and after a year on Carver’s Row, they go into a maintenance schedule. This is the longest that anything’s ever stayed on Carver’s Row.”
Each carver gets a chunk of western red cedar to carve, typically in the 40 to 50 inch diameter range and standing eight feet tall. Over three days, they have 35 hours to complete their sculpture. There is no theme, and carvings range from the realistic (eagles and wolves and bears) to the abstract and even the fantastical, with the Predator from the movie franchise of the same name sharing street space with Chewbacca and Yoda from Star Wars and Treebeard from Lord of the Rings.
Carving times will be from 8:00am to 6:00 pm June 9-11, and from 8:00am-1:00pm on Sunday, June 12, with the quick carve and awards starting at 3.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
