A competitor sends sawdust flying during a chainsaw event at a previous Brownsville Mountain Fair. Logging competitions will return to the fair Aug. 22-23 in Brownsville. Photo courtesy of the Brownsville Mountain Fair

BROWNSVILLE, CA (MPG) - Axes will fly, saws will roar and even a few cannons will fire when the annual Mountain Fair returns to Brownsville Aug. 22-23 for a weekend celebrating the traditions and community of the Yuba County foothills.

Presented by Yuba Feather Community Services, the two-day fair will be held at 16911 Willow Glen Road in Brownsville. Gates will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Throughout the weekend, visitors can expect logging competitions, live music, more than 60 vendors, a children’s carnival, animal shows, science demonstrations, food, beer and wine. The logging arena will remain at the center of the festivities, with competitors facing off in everything from axe throwing and crosscut saw races to choker setting, hot saw competitions and a four-person logger relay.

Saturday’s festivities begin with an opening ceremony and the opening of the kids carnival at 10 a.m., followed by a full day of competitions and entertainment spread throughout the fairgrounds.

Logging competitions begin at 11 a.m. and continue throughout the afternoon with events including stock saw and work saw competitions, axe throwing, obstacle pole bucking, a Jack and Jill crosscut saw race, choker setting, Buck & Stack and a hot saw competition. Organizers have also added a women’s-only axe throw to Saturday’s lineup, joining the women’s Hard Hat Frisbee competition scheduled for later in the afternoon.

Outside the logging arena, the Sierra Muzzleloaders will set up camp Saturday to offer black powder demonstrations and talk with visitors about the equipment and history. They will also bring two cannons to the fair, which organizers said will be fired several times during the day. Warning announcements will be made before each firing due to the noise.

The annual BBQ Ribs Contest will also take place Saturday, with tasting beginning at noon and awards scheduled for 2:45 p.m. Entertainment will include multiple appearances by the Science Wizard, live animal shows and Wild West-style performances by the Constitution Gunfighters. Live music begins in the afternoon, with performances by the James Slack Band and Doug Marr & Company. The James Slack Band is scheduled to return to the stage several times throughout the day.

The kids carnival will feature games, prizes and entertainment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while vendors will be open throughout the fair offering handcrafted items, treats and goods from local crafters and small businesses.

Saturday’s festivities continue until the gates close at 7 p.m.

The Mountain Fair picks back up at 10 a.m. Sunday with another opening ceremony, the kids carnival and a second day of logging competitions.

Sunday’s logging lineup includes work saw competitions, single- and double-buck crosscut saw races, a two-choker set, a four-person logger relay, speed axe throwing and the second hot saw competition of the weekend. The women’s Hard Hat Frisbee competition will return Sunday afternoon.

For those whose talents are better suited to the kitchen than the logging arena, Sunday will also feature the Mountain Fair Baking Contest. Judging begins at 11:30 a.m., with awards presented at 1:30 p.m.

Sunday’s musical entertainment will be provided by the Stringtown Road Band, featuring Kevin Marcy of the Marcy Brothers, with performances scheduled at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Animal shows and Science Wizard performances will continue throughout the day. The kids carnival will again run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., when the gates close and the 2026 Mountain Fair comes to an end.

Throughout the weekend

More than 60 vendor spaces are expected to fill the grounds with handcrafted treasures, treats and assorted goods from local crafters and small businesses. Raffle drawings will also be held throughout the fair. Regular raffle tickets are $1 each, six for $5 or 25 for $20. Separate raffles for a half hog and a firearm will also be offered at $10 per ticket.

The Mountain Fair has been a Brownsville tradition for more than five decades and continues to serve as both a celebration of the area’s mountain heritage and a gathering place for residents throughout the Yuba Feather communities.

Admission is $10 for ages 12 and older, $5 for children ages 6 to 11 and free for children 5 and younger.