A Trip Down Memory Lane: The Estacada Timber Festival
Growing up in Estacada, Oregon—a town steeped in the traditions of the logging industry—was a unique experience. One of the highlights of our year was always the Estacada Timber Festival. A grand event that began in 1958 that celebrated the very heart of our community.
I remember in the ’60s and ’70s, the Timber Festival was a big competition that drew loggers from all over, even as far as Canada! It featured everything from log rolling to axe throwing, and the whole town turned out to watch and cheer. I can still remember the excitement, the smell of sawdust in the air, and the sense of pride in our local logging heritage.
The festival wasn’t just about the competitions. It kicked off with a big parade
that brought everyone together, and how in later years, the day always ended with a spectacular fireworks display. I still remember the couple of years they were shooting the fireworks off behind the high school. There was a huge field back there, and everyone brought a blanket, laid down, and could watch the fireworks going off right over head. It was awesome! It was also a true slice of good old-fashioned hometown fun.
I remember as a kid, the Timber Festival wasn’t complete without the carnival that rolled into town. For us little ones, that was the main event—cotton candy, rides, and the dizzying whirl of the Ferris wheel and other rides our parents hoped wouldn’t make us sick. It was pure magic and an essential part of our summer fun. When you live in a town with a population of less than a thousand people, something like the Timber Festival was huge! Flash forward to about ten years ago. Many of the loggers competing are local loggers, or they were local loggers, and many of them have been competing in the festival for decades!
One of my fondest memories is the year Ramblin’ Rod, the beloved host of our favorite afternoon children’s cartoon show, served as the grand marshal of the parade. Ramblin’ Rod might’ve been a local celebrity, but to us kids, he was as big as any national star.
By the time I was in junior high, I was in the marching band, marching in the Timber Festival parade. We grew up with the Timber Festival and all that went with it, and it’s a huge part of my hometown’s nostalgia.
Though Estacada has grown over the years, (the population is now a little over 5000) the festival had its last run in 2019, but there have been efforts to revive it in recent years. I’m not sure if they succeeded, as I’ve been down in California, but the memories of those festivals still bring a smile to my face. It’s a reminder of how special and tight-knit our community was—and still is.
Does your hometown have something like the Timber Festival that you grew up with? Is it still going strong? Or has it faded over the years?
USA Today bestselling author Kit Morgan is the author of over 180 books of historical and contemporary western romance! Her stories are fun, sweet stories full of love, laughter, and just a little bit of mayhem! Kit creates her stories in her little log cabin in the woods in the Pacific Northwest. An avid reader and knitter, when not writing, she can be found with either a book or a pair of knitting needles in her hands! Oh, and the occasional smidge of chocolate!
In the next county over, they have a huge Highland Games Scottish festival.
I love Highland Games! They are so much fun to watch!
Nothing as exciting as log rolling or axe throwing, but our town has the Apple Butter Festival. It is always around Columbus day weekend. Huge kettles of Apple butter are made in the middle of town. We have a parade and craft vendors from all over. There is a beard contest and a hog calling contest. It’s fun to walk around and see those who only come home for that weekend. Many memories made over the years during apple butter.
Oh now that sounds like lots of fun, Danielle!
We had a Halloween contest in our town which hasn’t happened for years and years. My town had about 900 to 1000 people in it when I was growing up. We only knew the people on our end of town, but when we would with our dog it seemed everyone knew her. They would call her by name and pet her. Your description of the logging competition sounds like the competition in the movie North to Alaska with John Wayne.
It was very much like that, Karijean! I remember when I first saw the movie, North to Alaska, and thought the same thing!
Hey Kit! I can’t remember anything as exciting as what you had. Maybe the fair that came to our fairgrounds in the fall. The town (Lake City)down the road from ours(Live Oak), has the Olustee Festival. Which still goes on in February. It’s the reinactment of the Civil War which took place near there. Many dress up for that event. Arts and crafts with a Ball in the evening! I worked at Barnett Bank back in the ‘80’s and we all dressed up that Friday in our long dresses. Which was fun.
By the way, my grandfather was a logger. Many years ago the logs were cut down and sent down the Suwannee River. Years back there was a show on tv and it showed a few guys looking for those fallen logs. Guess there was money in them.
Our town has been known for its past, but not all good things though. Sadly. A lot of history.
I love Civil War reenactments! There’s a huge state park outside of Estacada where they have one twice a year.
For awhile, my hometown of Alma, Arkansas, was the Spinach Capital of the World, and so we had the Spinach Festival every year. There is still a festival, but it’s just a generic spring festival now. The town next to us, Van Buren, has always had Old Timer’s Day. We also used to attend the Dogwood Festival in Siloam Springs and the Apple Festival in Lincoln, although I haven’t been for years.
Here in Stockton, CA where I am right now, they have the Asparagus Festival!
Our small town in upstate New York has an Applefest every September. Here you can find everything apple. They have people making cider, sell different kinds of apples, candy apples as well as crafts and games. It is still going on although maybe a little smaller than it used to be.
Now that would be a fun festival to attend! My daughter has been to one in Massachusetts that was huge.
My town is pretty small, I don’t know if there was ever a festival, but there is usually a parade, and County fair and rodeo, in August.
Nothing like a county fair and rodeo, Bridgette! I love those!
we live very close to Parke County Indiana – most covered bridges and huge 10 day festival every October!
Oh, how fun, Teresa! I love covered bridges!!!!
My small town has a huge Fourth of July celebration each year that lasts for almost a week and began in the early 1960s. They have a full schedule of events, including musicians, street dances, a beauty pageant, carnival rides, clowns, a big parade, vendors, etc, finished off by fireworks.
Wow, now that’s cool! A whole week of events? What fun!
I moved a lot and can only think of a fair that comes to town once a year.
Those are still a lot of fun. There are a lot of towns that don’t have any sort of festival, and only their country fairs.
It sounds like a lot of fun!
It was a lot of fun, Barbara!
Not like the Timer Festival but a Cherry Festival. Its nothing like it was. We don’t go anymore.
Yes, sadly some town festivals sort of peter out over the years due to the town’s budgeting. That’s what happened to the Timber Festival.
My hometown had Brickfest up until last year . There are several towns that have festivals still. We have a strawberry festival, Toadsuck Days festival, watermelon festival, and probably a few more that I can’t think of right now.
Ohhhh, a Strawberry Festival! I’d be heading to that, Linda!
I did not grow up in the town we live right now, but I have been here for over 40 years. Our town has had a Water Carnival yearly for as long as I have been living here. When my daughter and my son were in HS they participated in the Water Carnival. When I was young there was a Horse Race Track and every year the Race Track sponsored an Easter Egg Hunt and we would always attend, our parents would take us, it was so much fun, and later on when I was a teenager our same little town had a Race Car Track and we would go every Sat. 2 of my older brothers raced and our dad also got to race once, it was so much fun.
Oh how fun, Alicia! All of those sound like good times just waiting to happen!
We have a very large lake so our town has Thunder on Water every year in June.
Okay, this is a new one! I bet it was a lot of fun, Rhonda!
Where we live now is the oldest town in the state. They have embraced their history and have an active look to the future. The National Storytelling Center is located here and the yearly festival associated with it is a large event that draws tellers and listeners from around the world. The town itself has frequent weekend events. This weekend is a “May The 4th Be With You” event. There will be Star Wars activities and characters throughout town. We have Chocolatefest, Harry Potter weekend, different themed weekends in the month of December, Victorian and Civil War events, and many more. There is always something to do. The nearby towns have one or two major festivals a year: Apple Festival, Iris Festival, Strawberry Festival, Covered Bridge Festival, Racks By The Tracks, etc. Some are geared a bit to tourists, but they are highly attended by locals from the area.
Just by the description of your town, Patricia, I know right where you live! My daughter and I passed through there years ago coming back from a writers conference in Atlanta. We were living in New York at the time. I loved your little town! Hana bought an old typewriter at one of the antique stores there. I could so easily live there. I love Tennessee!
We visited it in 1976 for Jonesborough Days visiting AF friends from there who had retired back home. We fell in love with the town and area. When my husband retired from the Air Force on 1992, we decided to retire there. It was sort of half way between our families. However, his were in Orlando and mine were in northeast corner New York. Still a 13 to 15 hour trip either way. We needed a good veteran’s hospital and the one here is excellent.