*For more information, pick up a copy of the Sportsman’s Holiday program at The New Era office, 1313 Main St.
The annual Sportsman’s Holiday is one of Sweet Home’s biggest summertime events.
“Sportsman’s Holiday is a fun small-town tradition that brings the community together to celebrate camaraderie, talent and the spirit of adventure,” Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lagea Mull said. “With a great lineup of events and activities, there is something for everyone to enjoy throughout the weekend.”
On the eve of the three-day event is a “Cut the Gut” car cruise, giving car enthusiasts an opportunity to show off their favorite classic or modern car. Participants embark on a journey throughout town as they make their way to multiple checkpoints hosted by local businesses and organizations, and earn “passport” stamps for a chance to win prizes. This event often draws in crowds of spectators who post themselves along Main Street or near checkpoints to enjoy the show.
The next day marks the crowning of the Sportsman’s Holiday Queen during a special coronation, followed by the new monarch’s announcement that the festivities have officially started.
During the weekend, the Elk’s Lodge opens its doors to the public to start the day off with breakfast, the Chamber hosts a community-wide yard sale, and a craft and vendor sale offers patrons an opportunity to buy locally-made goods.
While several activities that comprise Sportsman’s Holiday take place throughout the week, Saturday features key highlights of the celebration, starting with a parade that works its way west through the downtown core. Following that, spectators make their way to a field on Long Street to watch their favorite loggers compete in the Loggers Olympics. Various events include obstacle pole-bucking, pole-climbing, choker-setting and the Working Logger Relay.
For those less inclined to wield themselves in such physical activity, Sportsman’s Holiday offers the Chips-N-Splinters variety show, which over the years has proved itself to be an entertaining talent show of sorts.
Sweet Home’s summer event dates back to 1948 when community members formed Frontier Days in order to raise funds to build a community pool. The first annual events included the Chips ’n’ Splinters show and a swimsuit competition between the princess court. In 1952, the year the swimming pool was realized, Princess Geraldean Guthary was named “Miss Swimming Pool of 1952.”
The event remained Frontier Days until 1958 when it was replaced as Sportsman’s Holiday, to emphasize the natural outdoor sports found along the South Santiam and Cascade mountains – such as fishing, casting, hunting, camping, archery, hiking and so forth. Organizers for the new event urged the community for ideas, such as rifle and archery shoots, casting contests, musket and muzzleloader shoots, and commercial fishing, hunting and camping displays.
This new celebration continued to be held some time in late summer until the date was moved to July in the 1970s.
Former local historian Mona Waibel said “Sportsman’s Holiday” was named in anticipation of the impact Foster Lake would have on the community after the dam was completed. She said it was rumored at the time that the name was based on Arthur and Maud Sportsman, who were well known in the community.
“The only reason Frontier Days stopped was because the pool was completed,” Waibel said. “Sportsman’s Holiday was started before the lake was done.”
The Chamber of Commerce in 20009 voted to tip its hat to the event’s early years by renaming Sportsman’s Holiday to Frontier Sportsman’s Holiday
“The chamber board has the desire to bring back some of the original activities from Frontier Days, such as the street dance and the talent show,” then board member Lerena Ruby said. “The new name, ‘Frontier Sportsman’s Holiday,’ reflects the chamber’s desire.”
The name appears to only have stuck for two years.
One of the more unusual festivities taking place for Frontier Days was a real wedding, which was held during the inaugural event in 1948. During the course of the holiday, the community festival has had a wide variety of events, including boat racing, the Calapooia Roundup and Sweet Home Rodeo, Logger Olympics, horse shows, log weight guessing, Chips ’n’ Splinters variety show, and a kiddie carnival. There have been greased pig races, a kangaroo court that enforced a dress code during the festival, a log truck rodeo, a beard contest, auctions and raffles, bathing beauty contests, softball games, fishing derbies, downtown carnivals, a triathlon and tubathon, a burlesque-style musical show, a kiddie parade, a buckaroo breakfast, a fun run/walk, a dunk tank, live music, a stick horse rodeo, a square dance jamboree, a festival dance, a pioneer picnic and a fireworks show.