Augusta ready to roar

An all-spin zone amid a dizzying array of sights and sounds enveloped the Augusta County Fair on its opening day Tuesday in Fishersville.
The fair rides had scores of people screaming – either in glee or fear – while the cacophony coming from the chainsaws and Motocross bikes was surround-sound for high-decibel lovers.
The words “awesome” and “wow” came from kids watching the Motocross bikes kick up dust and soar into the air on the dirt track. More than 300 people were already at the track by mid-afternoon, with several hundred more streaming onto the grounds to watch the evening races.
On the opposite side of the fairgrounds it was calmer, at least until the rides opened at 6 p.m., as kids streamed toward petting zoos and pony rides.
Once the rides opened, the early lines were for the Elvis themed “Rock ’n’ Roll” ride that rolled people upside down.
Over at the Great Lakes Timber setup, Dale Bockrath, along with Jacob Eisen and Matt Freeman, displayed their ability to, well, cut-up.
Bockrath began the 20-minute show by cutting some large timber into a specialized design.
“It’s a self-portrait,” Freeman said to Bockrath when finished.
“How’s that?” Bockrath asked.
“It’s a blockhead,” Freeman replied.
It turned out to be six miniature chairs that the trio handed out to kids in the audience.
The group, of from Escanaba, Mich., continued with ax-throwing and an underhand block chop before Eisen and Freeman tried to get one another wet while log-rolling, all the while tossing out good-natured barbs and safety tips.
“Dale, I think we would have been better off if your mother held her water,” Eisen said at one point after Bockrath tried to get a headstart as the trio competed in the blockchop.
After tossing a chainsaw to the ground in mock disgust, Eisen and Bockrath had this exchange:
“Dale?”
“What?”
“We’re trying to set a good example here.”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Never handle your equipment like that.”
“Well, of course not.”
“Of course not?”
“Yeah, that ain’t mine.”
“That ain’t yours? Whose is it?”
“Yours.”
“Mine? What are you using my chainsaw for?”
“I wouldn’t treat mine that way.”
Both Eisen and Freeman managed to get the other to fall during the log-rolling. Freeman fell first – “I slipped on a wet spot,” he said.
Eisen fell next — though when he fell he did a split, sitting on the log with both legs in the water. “I don’t call that a fall,” he said. “I call that a split decision.”
“Some of you ladies are enjoying this a little too much,” Bockrath joked to the crowd.
On the final turn, both fell into the water near-simultaneously, ending the show.
The fun at the fair, however, doesn’t end until Saturday.