LOVINGTON, N.M. – Fairgoers in southeastern New Mexico have grown accustomed to a homegrown festivity.

The Lea County Fair and Rodeo features nine days of entertainment, from Friday, Aug. 1-Saturday. Aug. 9. It’s an opportunity for local residents to enjoy all the activities, including the concerts, carnival, rodeo, livestock shows, other exhibits and plenty of vendors. A key feature in that is making it a celebration, one that has drawn acclaim throughout the region.

Folks from across west Texas and New Mexico flock to this community of about 12,000 souls to be part of the bash, and they’re looking to be entertained. The Lea County Fair Board has taken the steps to ensure that happens, with daily performances from Timberwork’s Lumberjack Shows.

“The county has hired them as one of our small stage acts during the nine days of the fair,” said Wyatt Duncan, the fairgrounds’ director. “They will be set up in our old concert area for spectators to watch.”

Timberwork’s boasts of extensive work over the years in lumberjack entertainment, which it describes as fast growing in popularity. The company, which features four touring groups performing at more than 50 venues annually, has been on scene at other fairs, sports shows, corporate gatherings and special events.

“Our lumberjacks have been (featured) on national television,” the company’s website states, pointing out that the loggers have been shown on ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games, STIHL’s Timbersport Series and ABC’s Wild World of Sports.

With the popularity of axe-throwing businesses worldwide, the call to athleticism involved in lumberjacking skills has grown. Members of the team will be involved in that aspect of the games, but they will also be log-chopping, chainsaw-carving and log-rolling. Each of those disciplines has been shown on television.

The shows will allow audiences to have an up-close view of what people have been doing for centuries. The term, lumberjack, came about nearly 200 years ago and identified individuals who helped clear the land from timber. In doing so, lumberjacks also created other opportunities with the wood, from helping form buildings to developing paper products.

While there are lumberjack competitions that feature the athletes’ talents, the showcase during this year’s exposition is a show with full entertainment value. It coincides with many of the other acts that have been part of the activities in Lovington over the years, like the annual Fiddler’s Contest, which is celebrating its 64th consecutive year at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9. 

“The thing I like about our specialty shows and the Fiddler’s Contest is the chance for some people who are just enjoying a day at the fair to take in something unique to us,” said Kris Allen, chairman of the Lea County Fair Board.

“We don’t have a lot of trees in this part of the country, so to see the lumberjacks doing their thing is pretty entertaining. Of course, we’re just a year away from celebrating the 65th year of the Fiddler’s Contest, and I know a lot of people love coming to that every year.”