RANGELEY – The Rangeley Lakes Region Logging Museum invites everyone to sign up for the Little Miss and Mister Wood Chip contest and to enter a float in the Logging Festival parade, part of the 25-year celebration of the museum and Rangeley’s Sesquicentennial.

For the Friday, July 29, program at the Rangeley Inn, the museum invites girls and boys, age 6 to 8, to enter the contest and sing a song, play an instrument or recite a poem.

Although no dance entries are accepted in the contest, children are welcome to exhibit dances and other activities during the evening program, if time allows. Every contestant will receive a prize. The museum can accept five or six girls, and the same number of boys.

The winners will ride in the Little Miss and Mister Wood Chip float in the museum parade on Saturday, July 30, and in the winter they will preside over the Giving Tree events: Little Miss Wood Chip becomes the Giving Tree Angel and Little Mister Wood Chip serves as Santa’s elf. Finally, in the 2006 Logging Museum parade, the winners will ride in the Giving Tree float.

Returning this year will be Miriam Frisch, a former Little Miss Wood Chip, who will perform several high-stepping Irish dances.

Last July, James Laughlin, 7, of Portland and Rangeley, recited poems, “The Shell,” “You Can Count on It” and “Bald Eagle” to win the Little Mr. Wood Chip title. And to become Little Miss Wood Chip, Molly Pizer, 6, of Falls Church, Va., and Rangeley, sang “I Want to Soak up the Sun.”

The museum will have seven cash prizes in six categories in the parade: most appropriate to the logging industry, $100; best logging truck, $100; most entertaining, $75; most original, $50; most humorous, $25; and two best youth floats, $25 each.

To enter the Little Miss and Mister Wood Chip contest or to put a float in the parade, call Lucille Richard at 864-5595.

The Logging Museum, located on Route 16 one mile east of Rangeley, is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in July and August and by appointment. Call the Richards at 864-5595.