Woodchoppers

“Contestaaants… Readyy, seeet….”

If you can hear that, you’ve been to the Webster Springs Woodchopping Festival at Baker’s Island.
 
The annual festival kicks off this weekend, as always on Memorial Day weekend, and I wish I could be there—I actually haven’t gotten to go for nearly ten years, but I grew up going every year. And the quote above is lovingly engrained into my memory.
 
Also engrained are a few more things.
 
I seemed to fall every year as we walked across town to Bakers Island…. Either while unsuccessfully stepping from the edge of my great-great grandmother’s yard onto the very angled sidewalk or shortly after in the gravel parking lot. Yes, I’m as confused as you are. But in the end, it didn’t damper the fun of the day for me.
 
Loy Carpenter’s pottery was always the first booth to shop, and I got some of my own pieces even as a kid. Back at Grandma’s house, hot and happy and tired, everyone unwrapped their finds from boxes of newspaper to show them off. And his pottery can still be found in my family’s homes.
 
There was always some treasure I’d set my heart on. One year it was a neon orange foam lizard on a long wire that you could make “walk.” One year it was a fabric teddy bear I named Petunia. One year it was a small, beige and peach wood and fabric bunny figurine. And I still have most of them.
 
The mini doughnuts were unreal.
 
And you had to be very careful to not wash off the stamp you got on your hand when crossing the bridge to the Island.
 
Of course, there was also the woodchopping, but to me it was all about the crafts and the food. And it was a happiness I completely took for granted, as part of life. We’d stay in Grandma’s house, I’d sleep in the most comfortable little bed ever, and we’d have huge breakfasts with aunts and uncles and great-great-aunts and cousins and more people than I can name now.
 
It was beautiful. And as much as I’d love to be there now, you and I both know it just wouldn’t be quite the same because everything but Woodchoppers itself has changed, even the Island. But more on that later.
 
What is your favorite memory of Woodchoppers?
 





 
__________
Woodchoppers 2014 | 📸 by Kacie Fleming

Popular posts from this blog

The Dormitory

Image
On any walk up Union Street, aka Morton Hill, you’ll pass this building on the left.  It has gone by many names over the post century. I don’t know when it was built, but what was once the Webster Springs Sanitarium was by 1913 Webster Springs High School for one year. At one point it was the Summit Hotel. And it was a co-ed dorm from 1919-1923; “the dormitory” is what I know it by.   Enjoy a special view of the dormitory from my personal collection: Are you familiar with this building? Can you add to the info above on what it was used for and when?   _______ : Kacie Fleming, 2023
Read more

Morton Hill

Image
Union Street is a must-see on any trip to Webster Springs, in my book, for several reasons. We’ll take our time enjoying several of those over the next few posts, but first: this crazy steep hill itself and a few scenic views taken over time. I wish pictures did the incline justice. For now, three questions for you:   Does everyone call this Morton Hill?   What is your favorite stop on this street?   And has anyone fallen down it?    __________ pictures 1-2 2014; the rest 2023 | by Kacie Fleming  
Read more

The McLaughlin House

Image
As we head up Morton Hill, aka Union Street, in Webster Springs, we come to one of my very favorite houses. Built in 1894 by Dr. John McLaughlin, this house was also the home of the famed Eli “Rimfire” Hamrick (an indirect ancestor of mine) at one time. The little building out front was Dr. McLaughlin’s office, but I know personally that it was at least at one time later used as a house. I’ve made several visits to this stunning house over the years. Here’s glimpses from my latest visit in 2023. But even though I grew up going to Webster Springs regularly, I didn’t know about this house until 2007. We went one day to find it locked, and I just drooled over it from outside. I was thrilled beyond words to find out it was owned by the historical society and that we could have a tour the next day. I even have video of that tour on a handheld camera!     I will always feel the excitement of that first visit. It held feelings I don’t have words for, and it’s like a part...
Read more