Click above to watch a video from the Dierks, Ark., Pine Tree Festival, where the company continued celebrations of our 125th anniversary.
Every August, the annual Pine Tree Festival brings people from around southwest Arkansas to Dierks for a parade, craft and food vendors, loader and saw competitions, live music and an antique car and tractor show.
In addition to celebrating the community, the Pine Tree Festival also recognizes the region’s long timber industry history. The town of Dierks was named after a member of the Dierks family, which established the Dierks Lumber and Coal Company in the early 1900s, and the lumber mill began operating in 1918.
We acquired the Dierks mill in 1969, and in 2018 the mill celebrated its centennial with the opening of a brand-new facility just up the mountain from the original.
“The new mill continues to be an important source of community pride and economic opportunity,” says Jody Abernathy, mill manager and second-generation employee of 22 years. “The continued investment by the company in Dierks means the neighboring small towns also see the benefit. It’s exciting. We want to make sure this mill is here and provides for our families and our communities into the future.”
The company’s longevity and commitment to improvement is also important to Alice Shuffit, quality control lead and employee of 30 years, who lives in the neighboring town of Nashville, where she was born and raised.
“People coming together for the Pine Tree Festival to support Dierks, that’s what we do,” she says. “The people are good, and you have lasting friendships with people you have connections to. Weyerhaeuser is a constant.”
Alice joined Jody in staffing our booth at the Pine Tree Festival, where they greeted neighbors and coworkers.
“We work with different local community groups, chambers of commerce and schools,” Jody says. “We support them and make sure we’re involved. It’s such a big way to keep these small towns thriving.”
A team from Weyerhaeuser was on hand to help capture the festivities as part of our 125th anniversary celebrations this year, and you can check out the video above and photos below to learn more about Dierks!
