Virus chops down Paul Bunyan Days

ST. MARIES — For the first time in its 51-year history, Paul Bunyan Days has been canceled due to public heath concerns.

Paul Bunyan Days is an annual four-day celebration of the St. Maries logging community on the St. Joe River near the lower end of Lake Coeur d’Alene. The Labor Day weekend tradition involves a carnival, demolition derby, beer garden, quilt show, pet parade, and what it bills as the “largest fireworks display in the Northwest.”

The main event is the logging competition, described as “the Olympics of forestry,” where loggers compete for the title of “Lumberjack and Lumber Jill of the Year.” The family event is the biggest community gathering in the area and a celebration of its working-class roots.

Event organizer Dale Hill, chairman of Paul Bunyan Days for 20 years, said the decision to cancel didn’t come easily.

“We canceled for the same reason that everyone else has been,” Hill said. “The business community is going to be hit hard. But we can’t guarantee the crowds will come and can’t get much of a commitment from volunteers. And there are the health concerns. This was a tough call.”

According to Hill, “The population in St. Maries has tripled since March, as they come in from Oregon and Washington. We had everything planned, but these are strange times.”

Comments on the event’s Facebook page reflected disappointment and anger.

“People look forward to this. There is some upset on social media,” Hill said, “but we didn’t want to do this.”

But Paul Bunyan will loom large over the region in the future, Hill said.

“We saved the bankroll for this year and plan on having it next time,” he said. “We won’t change a thing.”

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Reed Perry can be reached at rperry@cdapress.com