ECTOR COUNTY, Texas —
Heavy rainfall Monday put a damper on outdoor fun at the Permian Basin Fair and Expo.
Plenty of outdoor event spaces were flooded out due to Monday's rainfall. One of the special entertainment events that got washed out was the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show.
Wet wood is no good, and on Labor Day, rain kept the logs dull in an otherwise sharp environment.
“Like when you finally hit that bullseye on the axe-throwing it’s like 'Yes!'" said Gretchen Rothermel -- a performer for the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show.
At the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, people get a little bit of everything.
“It’s a show where not only you’ll be entertained but you’ll be really informed," Rothermel said. "We talk about a lot of the techniques and tools that used to be used to harvest wood and harvest trees back before the introduction of heavy machinery.”
Rothermel is a lumberjill on the team of performers with her husband.
One act they do is log-rolling along with other techniques.
“How did we harvest wood before we had all these heavy machinery...cross-cut saw like I said, doing all of those sort of things it really connects what we’re doing now in life to the history of being a lumberjack and all those skills that were required and the strength," Rothermel said.
History taught in a fun way through a simple piece of nature.
“Anyone can do it really," Rothermel said. "It’s something that connects you to your roots...working with wood – there's something to be said about using your hands to work with something material [and] something nature.”
While Mother Nature was the theme on Monday, the Permian Basin Fair and Expo runs until Sunday, Sept. 8.