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Organizer asks Sandy for $15,000 to expand two‑day chainsaw‑carving festival May 31–June 1
Summary
A nonprofit organizer told the council about the Sick Forest Fest / Sandy Invitational Chainsaw Carving and requested $15,000 in city support to expand the event. The organizer cited prior attendance growth from roughly 700 in year one to nearly 3,000 in the prior year and described partnerships with local businesses and colleges.
Austin Orgneste, representing the nonprofit Trajectory (self‑described), asked the council during public comment for $15,000 in city support to expand the Sick Forest Fest / Sandy Invitational Chainsaw Carving into a two‑day event on May 31–June 1.
Orgneste described the event as a community workforce and education initiative that draws professional chainsaw carvers and related partners. “Our first year we had 8 carvers and, I think, something like a puppy off 700 attendants,” he told the council; he said the next year the event hosted 24 carvers and the organization “just shy of 3,000 people that we actually clicked and marked in the door.” He said the festival brings career‑path, forestry and emergency‑response demonstrations and partners with businesses and organizations such as the Clackamas River Basin Council, community colleges and local contractors.
Orgneste said the $15,000 request would be used mainly for advertising to expand the event’s reach and to deepen local business partnerships; he offered to provide a fuller written narrative and logistical plans to staff and the council. He said he expects to submit a complete event plan to the city by March and that the organizers are working with local property owners to finalize the site (mentions of a Lundeen property or a Trimble property were made during the comment).
City staff asked organizers to submit the event outline, detail how city funds would be used and describe partnerships with local businesses; Councilor(s) encouraged the group to provide the requested materials and attend the scholarship fundraiser planned March 1, which the organizer said raised approximately $21,000 last year and is targeting $50,000 this year.
Why it matters: The festival draws visitors to Sandy, supports local partners and promotes workforce and youth programming; council direction was procedural — staff review of the event plan and proposed funding request, rather than an immediate commitment of city funds.
What’s next: Organizers will provide a written event plan and budget to staff by March and coordinate with the city on site approvals and any required city services or permits.
