The 16th annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous will get going in the coming weeks, with a huge schedule of activities.

The yearly wood carving summer event begins at 9 a.m. June 17 at Loudy-Simpson Park as competing carvers select the logs that they will spend the week transforming into a work of art. Spectators can watch them in action with their chainsaws throughout the week as well until they finish that Saturday.

Later in the week, dozens of food and crafts vendors will set up shop in the park, with live music beginning the afternoon June 19 as the bands Dixie Leadfoot & The Chrome Struts and Gone Before They Got Here make their return to Northwest Colorado.

The Bear River Young Life Car Show will also offer a great deal in downtown Craig that night, complete with an opening barbecue and a car cruise for those entering their automobiles in hopes of winning the $1,500 purse at stake the following day as vintage vehicles line Yampa Avenue, with Dixie Leadfoot also putting on a show in Alice Pleasant Park.

Shuttles will be available every half-hour from 10 a.m. to 8 pm. at The O.P. Bar and Grill, J.W. Snack’s Bar & Grill, Mathers Bar and Kmart during the Saturday festivities.

The final day of activities is the biggest, with the Wake the Whittler 5K fun run sponsored by Friends of Moffat County Education getting the blood pumping first thing in the morning, followed by the Quick Carve Competition amid the arts and crafts fair, beer garden and silent auction.

The Steve Thomas Band will take the stage prior to the announcement of the winning carvers, and this year’s headlining band Jefferson Starship will close the event.

All musical performances are free to attend, though organizers remind crowds dogs will not be allowed in the park, nor will alcohol, other than the beer garden.

For more information on any Whittle the Wood activities, visit whittlethewood.com or call 970-826-2029. For more information on the car show, visit bearriver.younglife.org or call 970-629-9600.