As modern technology has crept into different parts of daily life — like creating art, navigating the roads, and talking to others — the LogJam Festival presents a more fundamental reality that existed over a century ago in central wisconsin.
But even before the LogJam Festival kicks off on the evening of Friday, Aug. 14 at River Park in Mosinee, booth organizers get ready to bring their elemental skills to life.
“Everybody in the camp offers some type of a service or a skill for the community,” Friends of LogJam president Al Erickson said. “We have people, we have blacksmiths, we have weavers, we have canoe makers, paddle makers. We have all the different types of people that would be important to a small community like that, and they all dress and act the part, so it’s like going back in time.”
On top of these handcrafters and art exhibits, the jam-packed weekend offers logrolling competitions, cornhole tournaments, live music, a historical museum and more. These activities are just a few of what the local community used to do during the 1800s while Mosinee made its name as a logging powerhouse throughout the country.
“Those timbers were cut to a certain dimension, and they were used to build rafts,” Erickson said. “Those were taken down the river, and that’s how they moved all this lumber down the river. Eventually they floated as far as Prairie du Chien, it was taken all the way down through Wisconsin Dells … and then they would meet down at that bottom and tie them all together and take them down to Mississippi. That’s how they moved all the wood down to places like New Orleans and down to St. Louis. So a lot of the wood that built up a lot of these cities down along the Mississippi all the way down, the wood came from this area.”
The event is an ode not only to these accomplishments and impact on riverfront cities, but the logging trailblazers themselves.
“We’re honoring our predecessors. We’re looking at where we’ve come from in this part of the country and all the people that made the area. I’m one of these guys that often calls ourselves the river rats because we grew up in the river,” Erickson said. “I’ve studied Wisconsin River history since I could read. It’s just fascinating to see what has developed and what’s happened in Wisconsin because of the Wisconsin River.”
To celebrate Central Wisconsin’s history and educate festivalgoers, volunteers are essential. The Friends of LogJam, a volunteer-run board and nonprofit organization, coordinate logistics around the goodwill of festival staffers.
“We started with a few people to get it going and do some activities, and now it’s quite large, and it offers a lot for the community ... Just like I said, they’re all volunteers so they aren’t doing it for the money and doing it for the desire to serve,” Erickson said. “It’s really rewarding from that standpoint. It’s people that give, and we’ve got a good group of givers down there that are willing to give their time.”
And by giving their time, the overall festival experience can bring families from across the Midwest region together for some authentic food and entertainment.
“With our websites and with our advertising and promotion, we always say there’s something for everyone,” Erickson said. “It doesn’t matter what age group. Background doesn’t make any difference. One of the things we’re proud of is what we can put together with the support of our sponsors and the volunteers. It’s something that we can really give to the community and give to the area.”
The LogJam festival will welcome all from Aug. 14-16 with no cost for admission. Friday hours will run from 5-10 p.m., Saturday hours will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday hours will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More details can be found at logjamfestival.org.
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