Taking a page from a bygone era, participants in Rochester Country Fair's Woodsman competition Friday evening axed and sawed their way through woodsman tasks from another era, giving spectators a glimpse of what it was like to wrangle big timbers back in the day.

Several men and women from the area gathered Aug. 17 at the Rochester Country Fair Grounds to show off their skills at old-fashioned logging and carving events, which included saw-cutting races, log-rolling contests, and even ax throwing. The latter was especially popular with children, who could be seen dragging their parents and grandparents to the scene with regularity.

In the distance, tractor enthusiasts showed off their antique machines. Elsewhere, some fair-goers savored the flavors of the fair's first beer and wine garden.

The log-rolling race drew a crowd on the hot and humid Friday evening, as teams of two used logging hooks to move a large log from one set of metal flags to the other and back, touching the flags with the log at each end of the race.

"That's a heavy log, and it just keeps getting heavier," announcer Ed Nail said, as he watched the contestants fight to direct the log. "Maybe if there were four more men here, they'd get it done."

The race brought to mind the good old days, Nail said -- the very old days.

"This is the way that your great-great grandpappy would've built your house," he told the audience, who observed the race from the bleachers.

Indeed, in the days of Rochester's sawmills, freshly-cut logs would have been crosshauled and stacked for transport by teams of men, and maybe horses, if they couldn't be floated down the rivers.

Husband-and-wife log-rolling team Irene and Frank Kampf stepped up for a run at the prize.

"I just heard a 'Why did we agree to this?!'" Nail said. "That's their strategy...or strategery, as it were," he joked, quoting former President George Bush.

They shouldn't have worried. The duo ran the log back and forth in record time, hitting the flags without any difficulty. Their lightning-fast round earned them a hearty round of applause from the audience.

Eddie Brightman and Chris Faustino Jr. stepped up behind the Kampfs. Nail advised the team to watch out -- for each other.

"Ed's been known to run over his partner with the log in the pass," he joked. "He's very goal-oriented."

Short as the race might be, the log was heavy and the day was hot. Most of the log-rollers were drenched in sweat after their round. "Come on," Nail teased them. "There's a hot tub in this victory for you."

Rochester Country Fair continues Saturday, Aug. 18, and Sunday, Aug. 19, at the 65 Pine Street fair grounds.