Logging Festival - Newaygo, MI

09/02/2026

We need volunteers for the Logging Festival Parade on Sunday, September 6!

Volunteers are needed to help with parade lineup and direct participants at the end of the route. A little of your time can make a big difference in keeping the parade organized and running smoothly.

We can’t do it without the help of our community. If you’re available to lend a hand, please sign up here: https://signup.com/go/DktZROb

09/01/2026

Think you have what it takes to compete like a lumberjack?

Join the Beaver Tree Service LLC Amateur Lumberjack Competition on Sunday, September 6! All equipment is provided, so bring your strength, skills, and competitive spirit.

Events include:

• Chainsaw
• Axe throw
• Two-person crosscut

Registration begins at 9 AM, and the competition starts at 10 AM. Participants must be 18 or older.

Cost is $10 per event or compete in all three for $25.

09/01/2026

08/31/2026

Logging Festival, Newaygo Sidewalk Sales ALL WEEKEND AT 37 North !!! Come enter our Famous Guessing Contest for a chance to win a Jackson Kayak ! So many deals and great items you won't want to miss out! Lots of freebies and deals while supplies last!

08/31/2026

LAST CALL . DON’T GET CUT FROM THE PARADE!

Today is the LAST DAY to sign up for the MAGNA MIRRORS Logging Festival Parade! REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!

If you are a city resident, please note the road closures. We thank you for your patience and hope you enjoy some candy!

This year’s theme is “Newaygo – A Cut Above the Rest” So sharpen up those float ideas, round up your crew and show us what makes Newaygo a cut above!

Don’t just watch the parade. BE the parade! Get your entry in TODAY!

https://www.rivercountrychamber.com/events/details/magna-mirrors-parade-logging-festival-2026-43136

08/30/2026

We love having our local heroes be such a fun part of Logging Festival each year. Know a firefighter? Tag them below so they can join in the fun!

Here is the flyer for our Water Battle this year. It will be held on Justice St next to City hall.

If you are interested in playing you must be a current member of a Fire Department in good standing. You must have a helmet, coat and boots to play.

There are trophies provided by River Country Chamber of Commerce of Newaygo County.

Thank you all for your support!

08/28/2026

LUMBERJACK SPOTLIGHT: SAM & MELISSA DUNCAN

This spotlight is a special one because Sam and Melissa Duncan aren't just competitors; they're family.

This mother and son duo comes to us from Kentucky, where lumberjack sports have been part of their family for many years. Melissa's late husband and Sam's dad, Dan Duncan, was a competitor himself, and Melissa has spent years both competing and being part of the lumberjack community.

A few years ago, Sam decided it was his turn to pick up where his dad left off and we'd say he's doing a pretty incredible job of it.

Sam is the current Overall Kentucky Lumberjack Champion!

Following in his father's footsteps, Sam has quickly become one to watch. He's relatively new to the sport, but between the talent, determination and lumberjack blood running through his veins, we have a feeling you're going to be hearing his name for a LONG time.

And don't overlook Mom! Melissa is a talented competitor in her own right and a huge part of the lumberjack community. Together, the Duncan's are helping keep the sport growing by hosting competitions in Kentucky, including one that carries on Dan's memory and legacy.

But here's the part the trophies don't tell you.

Sam and Melissa have become such a huge part of the Logging Festival family that they honestly can't remember what they did without them. They're the people who show up, jump in, help wherever they're needed, support the other competitors and make everyone around them feel like family.

That's what lumberjack sports are really about.

It's competition. It's tradition. It's family. And it's carrying something you love forward to the next generation.

We couldn't do this without these two, and we can't wait to have Sam & Melissa Duncan back in Newaygo for the Logging Festival, September 5–6!

08/27/2026

LUMBERJACK SPOTLIGHT: PAUL COGAR

If you’re wondering where Matt Cogar (posted previously) gets his talent and his incredibly kind personality, meet his dad, Paul Cogar. Paul is pictured on the left. (The awesome woman in the middle is Hope Meelker with Beaver Tree Service LLC. Hope is also a huge part of why the Logging Festival Parade goes so smoothly! Their family has also been a part of Logging Festival for years!)

Lumberjack sports aren't just something Paul does; they're something he's been surrounded by his entire life. A member of West Virginia's legendary Cogar lumberjack family, Paul has spent decades competing, working in the timber industry and passing along generations of knowledge to the next generation.

And while Paul is far too humble to give us a list of his accomplishments, we did a little digging.

Paul made his own mark in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series, competing professionally for years and earning a spot on Team USA at the 2013 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS World Championship in Stuttgart, Germany! He competed on the U.S. relay team alongside some of the best lumberjack athletes in the country. The same year his son Matt represented the U.S. in the individual World Championship.

His competitive history goes back decades, with recorded chopping performances dating back to the early 1990s. But ask Paul about any of that and you're much more likely to hear him talk about the sport, the wood, the technique or someone else's accomplishments than his own.

That's Paul.

He's an incredible competitor, a walking encyclopedia of lumberjack knowledge and quite possibly one of the sweetest men you'll ever meet. Spend a few minutes around Paul and Matt together and it becomes pretty obvious that Matt inherited a whole lot more than his chopping ability from his dad.

Come meet Paul and watch generations of lumberjack tradition in action at the Logging Festival, September 5–6 in Downtown Newaygo!

08/26/2026

LUMBERJACK SPOTLIGHT: MATT COGAR

When we say world-class lumberjacks are coming to the Logging Festival 2026, we mean it.

Meet Matt Cogar of West Virginia, who just captured his EIGHTH STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® U.S. Men’s Championship in July! And apparently one major title this year wasn’t enough. Matt also won his third straight North American Trophy Championship and finished 2nd in the world at the 2026 World Trophy in Budapest.

Matt is a third-generation lumberjack, carrying on the incredible Cogar family tradition and following in the footsteps of his father, Paul. Lumberjack sports aren't just something he competes in. They're quite literally in his blood.

His list of accomplishments is almost ridiculous: 8-time U.S. Champion, 2019 World Trophy Champion, multiple-time World Championship silver medalist, three-time North American Trophy Champion... honestly, there are too many titles to fit in one Facebook post. The man has his own Wikipedia page.

But here's our favorite part. You'd never know you were standing next to one of the best lumberjack athletes in the world. Matt is one of the nicest, most humble guys you'll ever meet. He's a true class act who is just as great with the crowd as he is with an axe in his hands.

And YOU can watch him compete right here in the Elder's Forest Products Professional Lumberjack Competition in Newaygo!

Logging Festival | Downtown Newaygo
September 5–6, 2026

Come see what an 8-time U.S. Champion can do. Trust us... this isn't your average Saturday afternoon lumberjack.

08/26/2026

The Newaygo Logging Festival is coming September 5 and 6, and we have a full weekend of lumberjack fun planned in downtown Newaygo!

Enjoy the Elder's Forest Products Professional Lumberjack Competition, the Beaver Tree Service LLC Amateur Lumberjack Competition, and the Traveling Lumberjack Museum sponsored by Leppinks Food Centers.

The weekend will also feature the Logging Festival Parade sponsored by Magna Mirrors of America, a vendor market, downtown sidewalk sales, live music, dancers, a chainsaw carver, pancake breakfast at the Newaygo Fire Department, and so much more.

Bring the family and join us for a weekend celebrating Newaygo’s logging history and community!