Move over, Paul Bunyan. Fans at the 2025 Lumberjack World Championships in northern Wisconsin brought their own heat.
At this year's three-day event, most of the hundreds of ticket holders donned their sportiest T-shirts and comfiest sandals. But the chance to get out was also a chance to step out and be seen for some of the more fashionable attendees.
Fans staked out spots on the bleachers to watch athletes chop, saw, run and balance in the folksy timber sport games. The cowboy hat vendor outside the main viewing area may have set a regional sales record. Children hacked at their siblings with foam axes from the gift shop.
Amid all the action, I combed the crowd for style. Here's what I found:
Western-inspired: Visitors from San Diego were 'influenced'
Jenna Aviano and Lauren Burns said they flew from Southern California to attend the Lumberjack Championships. They planned the trip after seeing an ad on Instagram for the events, which they said anchored their first trip to Wisconsin.
Both went for a western vibe with their outfits — complete with denim fringe, flannel base layers and references to Malboro cigarettes (although smoking was not allowed on the grounds) and the brand's signature cowboy.
As for shoes, neither opted for cowboy boots. Burns sported Eddie Bauer hiking boots that she already owned, while Aviano went for white athletic trainers.

"It's a combination of our western heritage and then incorporating some flannel, you know, 'channeling our flannel,'" Aviano said of their outfit inspiration.
The next stop on their Wisconsin road trip? A Nickelback concert in Milwaukee the following night.
Northwoords-inspired: Ohio lumberjack fan 'believes'
I caught up with Farris Brown later in the afternoon as he took in the events on the chopping and sawing dock.
What immediately stuck out to me were the Sasquatch silhouettes on his pants and the words "I BELIEVE" printed on the back pocket.
Brown said he'd driven from Ohio to take in his first lumberjack championships. When he started to shop for clothes for the trip, he realized he was picking out anything that seemed even remotely outdoorsy.
"I bought this to come here," he said, pointing to his green utility vest. "I thought it was very lumberjack-y."

Brown, who originally heard about the event on a podcast and planned a trip, said he does, in fact, believe in Sasquatch. He didn't elaborate further.
Thrifted look: Minneapolis woman goes for a summery look
As temperatures turned cooler Maddie Hubley stood out from the crowd of hoodie sweatshirts because of her knit cardigan featuring cheery watermelons. She said she loves to go thrift shopping and had picked up some of her outfit components secondhand.
Hubley's bright red romper matched the fruit on her cardigan and her Vans shoes. She completed the look with what she called her "movie socks" — socks with popcorns buckets, movie reels and other fun prints.
"I don't usually love red," she said. "So when I wear red, I feel like it's all got to be red."
Hubley drove in from Minneapolis to take in the events. She said she was most excited to see the lumberjacks scale 60- and 90-foot poles.

Bonus: Local goose stuns in plaid kerchief
Although he wasn't an attendee of the Lumberjack Championships, George the Goose gets an honorable mention for his plaid, lumberjack-inspired kerchief.
Our reporting team came across him in downtown Hayward taking in the tourists along with his owner, Bob, who posts the goose's adventures to nearly 10,000 followers on Youtube.
George had a calm demeanor and a loud honk. At press time, I was still puzzled by how Bob got a kerchief around his neck without catching a warning bite.
Katherine Kokal does have a day job as the education reporter at 89.7 WUWM - Milwaukee's NPR. Have a question about lumberjacking, Hayward's goose scene or an education story idea? You can reach her at kokal@uwm.edu