Temperatures in the 90s coupled with the sagging economy might have contributed to the end of the White River Chainsaw Carving Competition in Pacific, according to Mayor Richard Hildreth.
“We probably won’t end up doing this again,” Hildreth said of the event, which returned to the city last weekend for just the second year. “There was a very low turnout.”
With approximately $15,000 required to put on the event, which coincides with the City’s Pacific Days celebration, event organizers likely will end the competition based on financial reasons, Hildreth said.
“If you have $5,000 in prize fees and another $5,000 in wood and miscellaneous things, even with a lot of volunteers, it’s expensive,” Hildreth said.
Last Friday, hot temperatures kept people away, Hildreth said. The trend continued last Saturday, despite a temperature drop.
Hildreth said that Echo Chainsaws, one of the event’s primary sponsors, was disappointed with the low attendance.
“They decided they wouldn’t sponsor us next year – that’s $3,000,” Hildreth said.
Event organizers were hoping to attract about 5,000 spectators, but only drew 1,000 for the three-day competition. The low attendance was baffling to event organizer Cindy King.
“We really put out a lot of media,” she said. “We had it on three radio stations, several Comcast channels and seven different newspapers.”
Hildreth said the event committee will meet in the next few weeks and decide whether it’s feasible for the City to put on the carving competition next year.
“We’ll let everybody know,” he said. “Right now, it doesn’t look very good. Without having those prime sponsors to cover those bills, it would make it difficult.
“Pacific Days will still go on. That’s separate,” Hildreth said. “But the idea of the wood carving competition was to bring in extra people for Pacific Days.”
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White River Chainsaw Carving Championship winners
First place: Tomas Vrba, Everett; second: Luc Breys, Belgium; third: Ryan Anderson, Reedsport, Ore.; fourth: Mark Herrington, Wilkeson; fifth: Jeff Samudoski, New York. People’s Choice: Samudoski; Carver’s Choice – Tomas Vrba.
