Choppin’ it up!

MT. PLEASANT — Oakland Mills Waterwork park was filled with the sounds of chainsaws revving, crowds cheering and axes sinking into wood.

The Axe Women Loggers of Maine visited the county park on Saturday to put on a show for county residents.

After performing early in the week at the Washington County Fair, the group stopped in Henry County to perform for the first time ever in the county.

The professional timber sports athletes performing at the event include Lynette, Alyssa, and Krissy of the Axe Women Loggers of Maine.

The group tours around the country to promote women in timber sports, and timber sports altogether.

“These are amongst the best women lumberjacks or lumberjills in professional timber sports. We have world champions on the team, we have world record holders on the team, and we have the best up and coming timber sports athletes,” said Mike, the announcer at the Saturday event.

The group was formed by the announcer’s wife, Alyssa, who formed the group in search of more women timber sports athletes.

Alyssa got her start in timber sports in her home town of Bar Harbor, Maine, where she competed in a local lumberjack competition.

Once Alyssa began going around the country, she found more and more female timber sports athletes and encouraged them to join the group. The group now has 22 members from all around the country and members from all different occupations.

The three timber sports athletes that competed in the show on Saturday competed for bragging rights in several events including a crosscut competition, axe throwing, log rolling, disc stacking, and underhanded axe chop.

Alyssa took the crown in three of the events: log rolling, disc stacking and underhanded axe chop.

Krissy took the crown in the other two events, winning the crosscut competition and the disc stacking competition.

The event was hosted by the Henry County Conservation Office.