From the competition to the crowds, the Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce hosted its “best ever” Timber Days event Saturday and Sunday at Yough Park in Connellsville. “The turnout is tremendous, the weather is perfect and the vendors are very busy,” chamber President Nancy Henry said during Saturday’s events. “The people have really come out. “I’d say this is the biggest and best event ever,” she added. “There’s more food than we’ve ever had and everyone’s recording great sales.” Henry also said the offerings grow each year because organizers bring back events from the year before and add new ones. This year the new event focused on children and was a huge success, Henry said. Lisa Bowman, of Connellsville, also thought the children’s events were great, with her son Tyler, 6, and daughter Valerie, 4, participating. “I’ve been coming for a couple of years to support the city,” Bowman said. “It’s fun and this year there was a lot of things for the children to do.” Chris Wagner, executive director of the chamber, also felt this year’s festival, in its eighth year, was the best yet. “The parade was wonderful with more units than ever and the competition down here is great,” she said. Local timber sports competitor Harry Burnsworth, of Mill Run, is part of the reason the event is such a big hit each year, bringing competitors from as far away as Australia and New Zealand. “I’ve been doing this for 26 years and I know the competitors,” Burnsworth said, adding that he’s a little surprised at how well the event took off. “If the competitors get good wood, that means a lot and we get good wood here,” he said. “They just keep coming back.” Richard Jordan, of Sterling, Conn., is one of the lumberjacks who keeps coming back. “It’s a laid-back show with some of the top competitors, and some of the best wood we get to see is here,” Jordan said. Bowman said she is very impressed that competitors come from so far away to take part in Timber Days. “They’re not just local people,” she said. “This is a big thing. I’m impressed that Connellsville can have such a big event.” Wagner said there is no other event like this in Fayette County. “There are many galas, festivals and other events within the county throughout the year, but this one is unique,” she said. The event was started by former Mayor Tom Duncan as a sort of heritage days, but it was soon turned over to the chamber. “Bill Middleton, a temporary executive director at the time, said he had a great idea and it was Timber Days,” Wagner said. “There was a lot of people involved and it just couldn’t have happened without all of the volunteers.” One volunteer who has helped in a big way is Jeff Walters, who runs the chamber’s Web site. “There have been so many helpers, and Harry Burnsworth and his family have been very instrumental in putting this together,” Wagner said. “We just want to thank everyone for everything that’s been done to make this a success.”

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