Want to see ax throwing, cross-cut sawing, block chopping and log rolling?

Well, the Tennessee Valley Fair’s Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show is just the place for you. This show revolves around the talents of Jim Hunt, Phil Scott and Dennis Butler, three championship lumberjacks.

Ax throwing is the first event of the evening.

“A person can earn a maximum of 15 points with the bulls-eye being five points,” Hunt said, while adding that each participant has three attempts to hit the bulls-eye.

Hunt shows off his ax handling in the second exhibition.

In this timed event, he must chop a thick block of wood in two using an ax sharp enough to shave with, Scott said. Before the event began, three audience members were allowed to guess how long it would take to chop the wood, with the winner receiving “a chip off the old block.” At the audience’s urging, Hunt began chopping, and in less than 41 seconds he had split the block.

All three men participated in the third event, which features a duel of a cross-cut saw versus a chain saw. After a brief comedic lesson in how not to use the chain saw, the match began.

In the end, both saws appeared to finish the job at around the same time, proving that old technology is just as good as modern.

The last event was the featured presentation: log rolling.

In the best of three matches, the person who was dunked the least amount of times won in more ways than one.

However, one rule does exist – the men are not allowed to cross the center line. After the first round, Butler was asked what happened after he slid off his log into the water.

“I slipped on a wet spot,” he said.

Although Scott was declared the winner, the other men were in pretty good shape as they didn’t appear to be soaked.

“No one is wet … well not completely wet,” Scott said.

As the audience exited the stands, Scott spoke of his childhood and the start of his lumberjack career in 1972.

“In Canada when I was growing up, we used the river to float logs across. This is called river driving,” Scott said. “My father brought in a drive every year, and all of the children would play on the logs. As a kid, I began to learn to roll the logs and then began to travel around to local contests.

“It is an art that people need to be aware of.”

Audience members gasped at the show’s non-stop thrills and laughed at the comedic commentary provided by the participants.

“All-in-all, it was entertainment with humor,” said Chuck Walker, an audience member. “It definitely kept my attention.”

The lumberjack shows are provided daily at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays as well as 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays at Chilhowee Park. Admission to the show is free with paid admission to the fair.