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Fair Show Goes Over Big

Tribune photo by JIM REED

Fred Sayklly, 51, and Sandy Mae are the log-rolling competitors in the show. Sayklly has won four world championship competitions during his 41-year competitive career.

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN By GEORGE H. NEWMAN

gnewman@tampatrib.com gnewman@tampatrib.com

Published: March 4, 2009

PLANT CITY - Part of the free entertainment at the Florida Strawberry Festival includes the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, headed by three tough lumberjacks and a spunky lumber-Jack Russell terrier.

The lumberjacks are legitimate world champion performers, but the show's owner, Lee LeCaptain, who has been touring his show for 33 years, said the 8-year-old, 18-pound canine, Sandy Mae, is in a class by herself.

"Sandy is a real ham," LeCaptain said. "She gets in a heightened state of excitement as the show gets under way, barking and jumping around, just chomping at the bit. But every time I introduce her to the crowd she goes into a routine that you have to see to believe."

Working with LeCaptain, who is a world champion lumberjack in his own right, is a lifelong friend, Fred Sayklly Jr., and wood chopper and ax-throwing champion Jim O'Dell.

The lumberjack show features log rolling, chopping, saw racing, ax throwing, woodcarving and Sandy Mae, the log-rolling dog.

LeCaptain said the Paul Bunyan show is a historical, educational and humorous show, filled with audience participation.

"We have performed live in every U.S. state but Alaska," LeCaptain said. "We have performed in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Africa, Europe and Bermuda."

On the festival's opening day, David and Allison Mauger, who live in Winter Garden, brought their children, Alex, 10, Nathan, 8, and Rachel, 6, all home-schooled, to the festival as a field trip.

"David brought a busload of senior citizens from our church, Cavalry Baptist, to enjoy the festival," Allison Mauger said. "We saw the Paul Bunyan show listed on the program and thought it would be fun for all of us."

Little Rachel was picked out of the crowd during the show and presented with a doll-sized chair LeCaptain cut out of a cypress log with just a few waves of his "magic" power saw.

Lumberjacks Sayklly, 51, LeCaptain, 49, and Sandy Mae are the log-rolling competitors in the show. Sayklly has won four world championship competitions during his 41-year competitive career.

"Lee and I grew up together in the upper peninsula of Michigan," Sayklly said. "We've been putting on the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show together from its beginning."

While all the lumberjacks are more than proficient in all the skills exhibited, Sayklly and LeCaptain insist the real crowd-pleaser is Sandy.

"Sandy has the advantage in logrolling because she has 4-wheel drive," LeCaptain jokes. "She also has paws-a-traction suspension and a spike in each toe for better action. This little dog really knows her bark."

The 12-foot-long, 1,200-pound western red cedar log used in the show is covered with a corded material to give the performers better traction. The plastic-lined pool the log floats in prevents the competitors from wearing spiked shoes

Sayklly is resigned with his role in the logrolling part in the show.

"I might outweigh Sandy Mae by quite a bit, but that dog can outrun me on a log every time," he said. "Sandy wins. That's all there is to it. She doesn't want to get wet. But I get dunked every time. If put Sandy in the water, the kids in the audience would throw rocks at me. And Mrs. LeCaptain would call me from St. Cloud and really give me the business. Sandy Mae is the star."

One thing Sandy Mae can't do is throw an ax. That part of the show is left up to Sayklly and O'Dell, a three time world champion ax thrower.

"I've been in lumberjack competitions for 30 years," O'Dell said.

O'Dell, 48, hails from Nellie, W.Va. He enjoys being part of the Paul Bunyan show but has a dream of being a country music star. His CD, "The Drifting Hill Billy," which he recorded in 2007, contains 10 songs, one being "My Old Axe." The CD is played over the loudspeaker before the show and can be purchased before or after the show.

O'Dell has a metal box, secured by several latches, belts and locks, that contains the show's throwing and cutting axes.

"The chopping axes are pole axes with a 26-inch handle and 7-inch blade," O'Dell said. "The throwing ax has a double-side 6-inch blade with the 26-inch handle. They aren't balanced exactly. You just learn to throw them as they are."

During the 11 a.m. show on Thursday, O'Dell was able to throw his ax into a bull's eye painted on a 24-inch diameter log-target from 20 feet away.

Norma and Clarence Bell, from Milo, Iowa, are ardent festival patrons who enjoyed the lumberjack exhibition. She is a retired state worker, and he retired after from John Deere.

"We came to see George Jones," Norma Bell said. "We love fairs. We have been coming to Florida in February for 30 years. We travel from town to town. This year we've seen the Florida State Fair, the Orange County Fair, and now the strawberry festival. What's funny is in the summertime we'll go to the Iowa State Fair and see a lot of the same vendors and shows that we see in Florida in February."

The festival offers a number of shows that are included with admission, including racing pigs, a bicycle stunt show, Runa Pacha's Indian folk music, entertainer Dennis Lee, Southern Star Bluegrass and more.

The festival runs through March 8.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show

WHERE: Near the northeast corner of the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds, near Gate 1

WHEN: Daily during the festival at 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and also at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

COST: Free with festival admission

ON THE WEB: www.lumber jackent.com

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451.

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