» The buzz this weekend is all about chain saws

The Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Sculpting Championship returns to Reedsport this weekend, June 14-17, at Rainbow Plaza in Old Town Reedsport.

This will be the eighth-annual event and the theme this year is “Once Upon A Time.”

This also is the third year in which the Reedsport competition will serve as a qualifying site for the national competition known as the “Echo Carving Series.”

Chain saw carvers will work for 25 hours over four days on their main pieces that will be professionally judged at the end of the competition on Father's Day. The chain saw sculptors will begin carving at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and carve until 5 p.m. each day. On Sunday, they begin at 8 a.m. and carve until noon.

Each day of the four-day event carvers participate in a “quick-carve” competition at 10:45 a.m. for 75 minutes. The items generated each day in the quick-carve competition will be auctioned off at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The best carvers from Japan, Germany, England, Australia, and all over the United States, will compete for the top prize. The corporate sponsor, Echo Chainsaw, is again hosting a carving cup series known as the Echo Cup Series and Reedsport will be the first carving site in this series that will conclude with a championship later in the year.

The Tides Inn in Reedsport also will host a special reception for the chain saw competitors at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

The event costs $1 per day and also will feature a Corvette show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

In addition, this year's event will include a live band, featuring Paul J. Biondi, and a street dance, complete with a beer garden, for a $5 cover charge from 9 p.m. to midnight on Saturday.

For more information on these activities, those interested can call the Reedsport/Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce, at 271-3495; or visit the Web site, http://www.odcsc.com/.

The Riverfront Rhythms concert series also will sponsor a free bluegrass performance by the Young Bucs at 6:30 p.m. on Friday on the waterfront at the Umpqua Discovery Center, 409 Riverfront Way, Reedsport, near Rainbow Plaza and the chain saw carving event.

Picnicking is welcome and food vendors also will be on site. Lawn seating only, so participants should bring chairs or blankets. No pets, smoking or alcohol are allowed.

For more information about the Young Bucs performance, those interested can call 271-4816.

A complete schedule of events is included in this edition of The Umpqua Post.