ECHO Chain Saw Carving Series And Championship
Chicago, IL (3/12/2008) - 
The 2008 4th Annual ECHO Chain Saw Carving Series Championship is traveling to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico this fall. The Fiesta is a perfect visual venue for the Championship. With 700 participating balloons, Balloon Fiesta is the largest ballooning event in the world, the most photographed event on earth and the largest annual international event held in the U.S. 400,000 visitors are expected opening weekend October 4 and 5, the same weekend as the ECHO Championship. Visit www.balloonfiesta.com for more details.
On the Fiesta grounds October 3 - 5, eight world-class chain saw carvers from four qualifying events will compete for cash, prizes and the ECHO cup. They have 20 hours to produce masterpiece sculptures. The final sculptures will be judged on the 5th and then auctioned with all proceeds benefiting the Make a Wish Foundation. This year’s carving theme mirrors the Fiesta’s ----“Launching Dreams.” Visit www.echo-usa.com/carvingseries over the next few months to follow the progress of the series.
The four qualifying events are:
Cole Chevy Mountain Festival Carving Invitational, Bluefield, WV (May 23-25)
The National Road Chainsaw Carving Festival, Addison, PA (June 12-14)
The Oregon Divisional Championship, Reedsport, OR (June 12-15)
The Chetwynd International Chain Saw Carving Championship - Invitational 2008, Chetwynd, British Columbia, Canada (June 12-15)
Each qualifying event produces two finalists. Any duplicate winners will be filled with at-large contestants based on a point system. The eight finalists traveling to New Mexico will receive a $1,000 travel stipend, hotel Thursday through Sunday night, most meals plus a $100 incidental expense card, and ground transportation while at the event. Cash and prize packages are still under development but all eight finalists will win cash equal to or exceeding the 2007 Championship bounty. One special prize to kick off the competition is a balloon ride for the eight finalists over Albuquerque on Friday morning. Watch the ECHO web site as the prize packages evolve.
You can see the 2007 Championship at Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo on You Tube! Follow the link http://www.youtube.com