History of Loggerodeo™

History of the Loggerodeo™

Welcome to the world-famous Loggerodeo™, Sedro-Woolley’s o cial Fourth of July celebration. Independence Day festivities in then separate towns Sedro and Woolley began in 1886, making this the oldest Independence Day festivities in the state. When the towns merged in 1948, the new festival was named Loggerodeo™ and this year marks the 74th annual event! e Loggerodeo™ has a tradition of bringing community members - past and present - back together; many old timers who have moved away make trips back to town to visit with friends and family and share in the celebration. Over the years, the festivities have varied in length; 2022 will run July 1 through July 4. is is

good, old-fashioned family fun, and a beautiful way to honor Sedro-Woolley’s logging history and small-town community feel.

Loggerodeo™ President Dottie Chandler says “A er all the struggles over the last couple of years, we are hoping to get back to normal so we can start to enjoy the festivities as they used to be. We are excited to bring back events that were put on pause because of Covid-19; if you haven’t joined us for the Loggerodeo™ in a few years, this would be a great year to come back! is is a great event for the whole family and both new and old-timer Sedro-Woolley residents!” e name Loggerodeo™ dates back to 1948 when John Conrad won a city-wide naming contest, sponsored by the returning World War II vets of the American Legion. He won a $25 cash prize. e year 1948 was special for the Loggerodeo™ as it was a merger of two celebrations that had o en been run separately during the week of July 4: logging contests and a rodeo. Many old timers still say that the 1948 event was the wildest Loggerodeo™ ever. A reworks display was added along with the Street Dance in front of the Legion Hall on Murdock Street. e Ziegler Brothers Carnival had been introduced in 1946 and continued into 1948 and beyond. e year 1948 also marked the 50th anniversary of the merger of Sedro and Woolley towns, which had each

previously had their own Independence Day celebrations. e original Sedro-Woolley rodeo was held in 1914 and consisted of riding, racing, and roping exhibitions; it attracted ten thousand people from all parts of the Paci c Northwest. e rodeo continued on an irregular schedule until 1934 when community members decided to restore it at the grounds on Polte Road. e Rodeo expanded into a two-day event in 1946 and included calf and trick roping; bronco, steer and bareback riding; and bulldogging. In that year, $1,500 in cash prizes was awarded, including $150 to the best all-around cowboy.

In 1948, the competitive logging events were expanded. Rules were codi ed for the Log Drive; originally nearly 12 feet long, the log was eventually standardized at eight feet with a 14-inch diameter. A crew would drop the log into the Skagit River from the Marblemount Bridge at 5 a.m. e log was then followed downriver by a motor boat to ensure that it wasn’t stolen. Rodeo queen candidates sold ra e tickets to local gamblers who were trying to guess how long the log would take to oat down to its destination at the Clear Lake Bridge. Depending on the depth of the river and obstructions in a given year, the trip varied 10 to 19 hours. For many years, a local radio station would announce updates on the log’s progress called in by Don Collen who participated in the event in one way or another for decades

starting in the early 1960s. He was the Logging Show MC and a Log Show chairperson in the 1980s. e log drive ended in the 1990s but there is talk of reviving it.

Event organizers, volunteers, and sponsors

e Loggerodeo™ is run by an all-volunteer team headed up by President Dottie Chandler who took over six years ago. Tonia Smiley has been Vice President since 2020. Organizing the event is a 12-month commitment. e Loggerodeo™ depends heavily on community support - both nancial and participatory - to keep it going. e festivities cost $80,000 to $100,000 to put on; paid for by personal and business donations and sponsorships, and money raised through the carnival, T-shirt sale, and the Quick Carve auctions. e more T-shirts are sold and the more is bid on carvings; the more money is raised for the Loggerodeo™. e Sedro-Woolley Carving Championships are known to carvers around the world. Said Dottie, “Carvers from all over are always asking to carve at our event but it’s invitational only, allowing us to feature the best of the best. We want to keep it in demand.” ank you to the event’s con rmed sponsors. T-Shirt sponsors: Country Meadows, Swinomish Casino & Lodge, Birchview Memory Care, Soroptomist- Walnut Tree, Foothills Toyota, Farmers Insurance - Hoskinson Agency, and Judd & Black. Carver helpers and sta T-shirts: Skagit Farmers – Country Store. Parade: Sierra Paci c Industries. General: Wood’s Electric, State Farm – Ken Sorestad, Rob Graham Trucking, Lemley Chapel, Stiles Law, Banner Bank, Wood’s Logging, People’s Bank, Janicki Industries, Skagit Aggregate, and Sedro-Woolley Les Schwab. Other sponsors: Farmer’s Equipment, Skagit Media, Janicki Logging, Paci c Canopy, Pioneer Market, Skagit Publishing, KAPS Radio, and BYK.

Check our Facebook page and website for others who come in a er publishing. Please contact the Loggerodeo™ at sedrowoolleyloggerodeo@frontier.com or 360-770-8452 to get involved or make a donation.

Visit www.loggerodeo.org for application forms and drop them o at the Loggerodeo™ o ce at 727 Murdock St., Unit 3 or mail to P.O. Box 712, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284. Historical details were found in the Skagit River Journal.