Three years after its inception, Trajectory NW’s SICC Forest Fest is carving out more space and time this summer to entertain and educate the masses.

May 31, the event will kick off behind the Dick Hannah – Sandy dealership, 37000 Highway 26, which is sponsoring this year’s two-day festival.

The festivities will include live displays of carving artists as they create pieces, timber sports, heavy equipment and mass timber displays, hands-on activities, educational booths, vendors, and a Family Zone (with hotdogs/burgers for purchase), from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1.

The mission of the Sandy Invitational Chainsaw Carving contest from the start, according to Trajectory NW founder Austin Ernesti, is “both about honoring the forest and conservation and the trades.”

As Ernesti and the Trajectory team have grown their organization, people from all walks of life have rallied behind the ideas that forests and their resources need protection, and that the public needs to be educated about the role the timber industry plays.

“Somehow, we have taken a thing we all love, the forest, and it has turned into a thing that divides us. I abhor tribalism,” Ernesti said at last year’s festival. “We are all on the same team in this country even when we disagree. I don’t give up when I have a disagreement with someone, after all, it is always possible that I am wrong. I focus on the things we do agree on, and work on those bits. … I think we could all do with a little bit less ‘us vs them’ in our local communities. And if Trajectory can get tree huggers and tree fellers under the same umbrella, then maybe things aren’t as bad as we sometimes fear.”

Several agencies and businesses have signed up to table and participate in the event, including BLM, the Clackamas River Basin Council, Wood Mizer, the US Forest Service and more. And Trajectory is still accepting tradespeople to host a booth with information about their trade or hiring.

Those interested in a booth can email SICC@trajectorynw.org or fill out a vendor form on the website at trajectorynw.org.

The family zone is a new addition to the event this year — one which Ernesti is excited about. While there will be multiple other food vendors and activities, this area will offer hamburgers and hot dogs for purchase at family-conscious pricing, so SICC is an affordable, fun outing for all.

Like in years past, community members will have opportunities to safely try their hands at timber sports and at operating machinery. There will even be mini excavators for children to demo.

As the event has grown, as have those supporting it, and Ernesti said “it’s cool to be officially sponsored by Dick Hannah.”

That said, the organization can still use more skilled volunteers to provide hands-on help before and during the event. Those with heavy equipment experience and certification who are willing to donate their time to Trajectory and this event are encouraged to call Jen Dolan at 503-339-4504.

For more information about SICC or Trajectory NW, visit trajectorynw.org/sicc