While the Games of the XXXIII Summer Olympiad may be drawing to a close this Sunday in Paris, France, the logging games of the 81st annual Morton Loggers Jubilee will kick off and be held simultaneously starting on Saturday, Aug. 10.
Games include ax throwing, log rolling, hot saw, obstacle pole climbing, single and double buck sawing and more will be held inside the Morton Loggers Jubilee Arena, located at 451 Knittles Way.
The Loggers Jubilee kicks off before that, though, with the festival’s queen coronation on Thursday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m. inside the Roxy Theater, located at 233 W. Main St. in downtown Morton.
Tickets are limited and cost $5 per person. They can be purchased at the door or ahead of time on the Roxy Theater’s website.
Along with the Jubilee, the 32nd annual Jubilee Flea Market will simultaneously take place throughout all four days of the Jubilee beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8.
Local artisans, craft vendors and more will be located in the grass field just south of Morton Country Market, located at 461 Second St.
The schedule for the rest of the 81st annual Morton Loggers Jubilee includes is as follows.
Friday
• Hampton Lumber Mills Cowlitz Division tours, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Hampton Lumber Mill located at 302 state Route 7.
• Lawnmower races, held at the Jubilee Arena. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., time trials begin at 6:30 p.m. and races kick off at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children ages 6-12.
Saturday
• 10K Loggers Jubilee run, registration costs $15 per person, with an additional $10 for a T-shirt, and opens at 7 a.m. with the run starting at 8 a.m. A simultaneous 2-mile fun run will be held for children and those who may just be starting to run. The run starts at Morton High School, located at 152 Westlake Ave., and takes participants through a scenic run in the Morton Valley. A “Logger’s Breakfast” will follow the run in the Jubilee Park, just north of the Jubilee Arena.
• Jubilee Championship Bed Races, starting at 11 a.m. in downtown Morton on Main Street. The races involve one person riding a bedframe being pushed by four others. For more information including how to enter, call Chad Cramer at 360-763-2348.
• Jubilee Parade, starting at 11:30 a.m. in downtown Morton on Main Street following the Bed Races. The theme for this year’s parade is “Standing in today, reaching for tomorrow.”
• Logging show, with the gates to the Jubilee Arena opening at 12:30 p.m. after the parade, and games beginning at 2 p.m. No pets are allowed inside the arena and games will be held throughout the afternoon and early evening. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children ages 6-12.
• Final showing of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, 7 p.m. at the Roxy Theater in downtown Morton.
• Jubilee Saturday Night Dance, from 7 to 11 p.m. in the Gas Plus parking lot located at 498 2nd St. featuring “Still Got It!”
Sunday
• Logging show, with the gates to the Jubilee Arena opening at 11 a.m. and games beginning at noon. No pets are allowed inside the arena and games will be held throughout the afternoon and early evening. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children ages 6-12.
Traditionally held annually on the second weekend of every August, the Loggers Jubilee started either in 1937 or 1938, depending on who you ask, as a way to hold friendly competition between loggers to see who was best at their trade.
Now known as the “Granddaddy of Logging Shows,” the Morton Loggers Jubilee seeks to not only continue the competition tradition but to show younger generations how logging used to be done and to educate them on the industry’s history.
For more information, visit https://loggersjubilee.com/.
