From flannel to greased pigs: Farwell Lumberjack Festival offers fun for all ages
The ninth annual Farwell Lumberjack Festival is all about seeing children enjoy themselves.
The festival, which was on hiatus during the 1980s and 1990s, was restarted in 2000, said Lumberjack Festival Committee Member Janice Jenkins.
"We wanted to make sure that it was a an environment that kids had something to do for the weekend with plenty of entertainment for adults," she said.
Friday night's highlights include a Surrey Township Fire Department spaghetti dinner at 5 p.m., the Lumberjack Parade at 5:30 p.m., an ice cream social at 7 p.m. and a two-hour street dance from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Stephenson-Wyman Funeral Home parking lot, 165 S. Hall St.
Saturday begins with a Lumberjack Pancake Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at the Clare County Senior Center, 101 W. Michigan St., and ends with Lumberjack "After Dark" which includes a beer tent, gambling tent and musical performances from "Jedi Mind Trip" from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Farwell Fairgrounds, 221 S. Webber St.
Sunday highlights include a greased pig contest at noon, a pie eating contest at 2 p.m. and the Sunday Sundae Ice Cream event at 5 p.m. to end the festivities.
Lumberjack Festival Chairwoman Unice Andreas said the greased pig contest is very popular. Adults pay $10 and children pay $2 and receive prizes.
"People love to watch that greased pig contest," she said. "For the adults, it's a full grown pig. For the smaller kids, they're smaller pigs."
For Village President Steve Grim, the festival is a source of personal and community pride.
"The Lumberjack (Festival) is fairly new and very eventful," he said. "I am very proud of the community and the people that are working here."
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