Building on the success and popularity of last year's intermodal tour, our traditional Forest Heritage Days Woods Tour will again blend a bus ride with a cruise on the historic Steamship Katahdin. The tour begins at 8:00 a.m. at the Community House with a slide show about the last log drive presented by Marc Johnson. Participants will then board buses, leaving from Greenville and tour up the west side of Moosehead Lake with facilitated stops at Somerset Junction and the Milligan Farm, where remnants of old forest settlements may be seen. After a nice box lunch at Misery Pond Overlook, the tour will continue to Demo Pond to see the remains of an old lumbercamp yard, then on to Red Pine Plantation, a stop at a deer wintering area, and Ten Mile Field. Participants will also get to see an active harvesting operation. The buses will arrive in the afternoon at the Kineo Dock in Rockwood, where participants will learn about the area's public lands before boarding the "Kate" for an interpretive cruise back to Greenville. The theme of this year's tour is "From the Days of Old to Today: Our North Woods Heritage". Themes include the history of the lumbercamp and log driving era, the history of human development, and how the balance between recreational and industrial use has evolved since the early days of lumbering. Pre-registration is required and a $30 per person fee will be charged. To register, contact Rhonda at 695-2241 / rarey@plumcreek.com.
(Not recommended for young children.)

12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - "Old Time Logging Events" at the East Cove, downtown Greenville.

Here are some of the featured events :

• A slide show about the last log drive presented by Marc Johnson The presentation highlights the last log drive down the Kennebec River; its history, mechanics and the people of the last drive ending in 1976. Marc is a forester, with a love for the history of logging, woodsmen and river drives. He worked for Scott Paper Company while the last log drive was happening and recognized that it was soon to become history. Wanting to be a part of its recording, with his skills as a photographer, his knowledge of the mechanics of river driving and his storytelling, Marc has documented the story of the Last Drive on The Kennebec.

• Entertainment with Clum Spencer, Maine Folklorist and Balladeer along with his Traveling Museum

  Clum Spencer was born in a house on the banks of the Penobscot River in Passadumkeag Maine and has been interested in history ever since he was able to understand the stories as told by "the old folks." He likes history in any form but local folk lore is near and dear to him.

  For the past twenty odd years he has been going around to different festivals, schools, and libraries to sing self composed songs and tell stories about working in the woods, saw mills, farms, textile mills, along with other types of work and just plain living: mostly in inland Maine.

  Over the years he has collected a mini museum of old tools and artifacts of yesteryear and he now demonstrates many of them as seen in the photos. Virtually all of his stories are from his own experience or from someone close to him and has used the tools that he demonstrates. He does not believe that anyone should want things to stay the "same as before" but that we should all be aware of our heritage.

  Says Clum: "In Maine we have a very unique heritage and we are losing it. Young people don't know how things in this great land came to be, or, about the struggles that brought us to where we are today. " Clum has a program with lots of humor which gives his audiences an aroma of those days which are gone and will not likely come around again. (And, the most of us hope that they won't.) He plays harmonica, including one that's about an inch long, spoons and who knows what else he will show up with.

  
• Traditional skills demonstrations by members of the Colby Woodsmen's Team including cross-cut sawing, buck saw demo, fire build / water boil, and much more! Participants will have fun trying their hands at these old time tasks too !

• Watercraft demonstrations

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - More great "Music in the Gazebo" comes your way as part of the 15th Annual Forest Heritage Days celebration on Friday, August 12, 7:00 p.m. when the ever popular Old Grey Goose performs at the Town Gazebo located adjacent to the Katahdin Steamship and Parking lot in the Village of Greenville. Bring your picnic blanket or lawn chair, a sweater in case of a cool lake breeze, and sunglasses to view a classic Moosehead sunset while Carter, Doug, and Jeff of The Old Grey Goose entertain you with traditional music from Maine and the Maritimes ! To be sure, your toes will be a tappin', and you may even want to get up and dance ! Rain site: Community House, corner of Lakeview and Pritham Avenue. Donations for the series are welcomed!!! For more information call: 207-997-3706 or write to: susancrippen@gwi.net.

The Old Grey Goose performs the old-time country dance music and songs from Maine and the Maritimes, singing and playing fiddles, accordions, pianos, guitars, banjos, harmonicas, fiddlesticks, bones, and more. In Concert, the group presents stories, songs, and tunes collected over the past twenty-five years depicting life in old New England. Of primary importance to this trio of musicians has been to preserve an irreplaceable aspect of our region's social and cultural heritage. The group also teaches the country dances of New England: quadrilles, contras, circles, polkas, waltzes, two-steps, and schottisches. Social, historical, and traditional perspectives are part of every program.

7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - Public "Lumberjack's" Breakfast by the Ready Workers at the Masonic Lodge on Pritham Avenue

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - At the Greenville High School grounds:

• Game of Logging - Awards Ceremony immediately following the Game of Logging - $7,000.00 purse
• Forest Industry Displays
• Recreational Exhibits
• Entertainment by Clum Spencer, Maine Folklorist and Balladeer
• Craft Show
• C.A. Dean Hospital Auxiliary Fair
• Food & Concessions
• Log a Load Raffle - win a chainsaw!

In addition, please visit the Moosehead Marine Museum and the Moosehead Historical Museum to learn more about our region's fascinating history and heritage !

Moosehead Marine Museum - 207-695-2716 / katahdincruise@prexar.com

Moosehead Historical Museum's Lumberman's Museum - 207-695-2909 / history@midmaine.com

For more information about Forest Heritage Days, contact Susan Crippen, 207- 997-3706 / susancrippen@gwi.net