I'm not saying that I believe in time travel, but if there is one thing I can say for certain, it is that I can be transported in time with the scent of 2 things...Sawdust and chainsaw oil.
I had to go into the local saw shop to get a new chain for my husband a while back and as I walked in the door it was as if I had stepped foot to 1983. Four years old and the only thing I can see is the counter in front of me and my father's Giant black leather logging boots. I look up...way up to him past the red suspenders and flannel shirt, catch his glance and hope he will know to add a bag of peanut M&M's to his purchase total. He usually does.
The men swap stories here, get their supplies and repaired equipment. It is nothing too special to anyone who may not be in the industy, but to those of us raised in it, the smell of the saw shop represented work. Work equaled food, warmth, security, and yes...to a 4 year old Logger's daughter, peanut M&M's.
As the years have gone by I am very grateful for being raised in a logging community. Everyone from the Haulers, the cruisers, the mill workers, the saw shop owners, the lumberjacks and even the waitresses working the hoot owl shift at the local coffee shops, they have all contributed to my upbringing and the story of North Idaho.
Anyone who knows me will contest that I am surprisingly more of a "Tree Hugger" than a next generation lumberjack (that would be my sister, Errin) these days. Don't get me wrong, I fully support forest management and selective trimming (no one wants fire danger!!) But I will be the first one to stand protest for an Ancient Cedar who has stood the test of time and watched us all grow. That is what my passion is really, the Legacy. So this year I am paying tribute for our "Labor Day" show, to the Men and Women who made this community what it is today, to the jobs that fed their children, the work that created opportunity and growth. They are in fact, our Legacy.
We live in an ever changing world. Gone are the days of North Idaho being a logging area. Many have gone on to do other things, My Father now manages orchards, others have created jobs, such as Jack Yount who created Red Rooster Coffee Roasting and has a new legacy! We have other renewable resources, different trades and more opportunities in other ways. I find that the Junking world is a trade. We are hard working in what we do, restoring & preserving, from finding to building, to creating and then the hard part of hauling and selling and hoping at the end of the day we can be proud of our work and accomplishments.
This all said, I am so very thrilled with the Graphics of this years' show, done by my dear friend and Designer, Elle Susnis. Elle too was raised in the logging community and is the proud daughter of a North Idaho Lumberjack! I hope you enjoy the postcard/poster for 2016 and more so, I hope you will save the date for Funky Junk, Labor Day weekend...It promises to be Legendary and yes, maybe even a step back in time for you too!!
Cheers, Jennifer
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