Chainsaws and Chuckwagons

Mark:   What are we going to do this weekend?
Me:      I found this event called Chainsaws and ChuckWagons.  Let's go!
Mark:   It's going to be 101. 

Me:      It won't be too bad!

Mark:  *The Look* 

Yes it was another one of "those events".  Of course since I am the de facto weekend planner I don't ever pay attention to *The Look* much anymore.  However, I think I probably should have paid a little more attention to it this time.  Because it was indeed HOT!  I mean cook the meat off of your bones HOT! 

But we went anyway.  It was in a little town north of Denver called Frederick.  It's a former mining community that is now a suburb of Denver but is still pretty rural.  Every July they have their Chainsaws and ChuckWagons event that features wood carvers (that can only use chainsaws) and food from ChuckWagons.  They also had a Colorado Craft Beer tasting that was going on at the same time which excited me for about 4.5 seconds. Because in order to get 2 oz of beer you had to stand in 100+ heat for 20 minutes at each brewery.  I would have toughed it out for a 12 oz beer but basically standing in the heat for a shot of beer was NOT my idea of a good time.  

Personally I think that there was a little false advertising going on because when they said ChuckWagons I was expecting the old guys standing by dutch ovens, cooking out of the backs of Conestoga Wagons, dressed in period costumes.  But instead there were just regular guys in faded t-shirts, with scruffy beards, serving regular food out of old food trucks. And what good is a having a bunch of food trucks around if they didn't include at least one that had ice cream? But alas, there was none to be found.  

So we abandoned the beer tasting and the food trucks and went over to the wood carving contest.  This lovely display of craftsmanship would have been great if they didn't have it situated on an asphalt parking lot right next to a busy highway!  Did I mention that it was HOT? And each of the carvers were burning wood scraps right next to their carvings so the ambient temperature probably hovered somewhere near what Hell's thermostat is set at. No kidding.  Even my sweet hubby said he was getting "pretty warm".  

No doubt these guys are very talented.  I can't do anything with Play Doh and a butter knife much less a humongous tree trunk and a chainsaw.  

They also had lots of events for people to do besides look at the art work.  They had live bands, a splash garden, a gigantic beer pong game, face painting, and a mechanical bull plus various vendors that you find at farmers markets and such. 

But this last picture sums up the whole day.  This little puppy had been walking around on his leash for about a half-hour.  He suddenly stopped, plopped over on his side and refused to get up.  So the owners took their toddler out of the stroller and put the puppy in it so they could keep moving! Score one for the HOT dog!