Tuolumne Lumber Jubilee Grand Marshall Picked

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Tuolumne, CA — Tuolumne native Tim Burns will be the Grand Marshall of the 75th annual Tuolumne Lumber Jubilee, June 21-23.

A third-generation Tuolumne County resident, he has been an instrumental community leader for decades.

Tim, and his wife of 50 years Laura, along with other friends, helped save and relaunch the Lumber Jubilee in 1980 after it had started to phase out around the mid-seventies.

Burns graduated from Summerville High School in 1973 and briefly worked for CAL Sierra Timber. In 1974, he joined the Air Force and was stationed at Mather Air Force Base east of Sacramento. He was later reassigned to serve in Korea, and was honorably discharged as a Staff Sgt in 1980. At that point, he and Laura moved back to Tuolumne.

In 1980 he also started volunteering with the Tuolumne Fire Department, and he served until 1993, when he had to step down as Assistant Chief, because of needed back surgery.

From 1980-86, Burns worked at the Calaveras Asbestos Plant, and in 1986 went to work at Fiberboard in Standard. He witnessed it change to Louisiana Pacific and later to Sierra Pacific Industries. He worked there for 17 years as a heavy equipment operator, decking logs.

In 2003, Burns started working for TEDA as a heavy equipment operator and the roads and lands manager. He retired in 2017, but continues to fight fires as a heavy equipment operator in different counties. He also runs heavy equipment for various different jobs.

Burns was involved in timing the logging events at the Lumber Jubilee from 2010-2020, and when he retired from role, his two younger sons, Randy and Russel, took over.

He is an avid hunter who also enjoys fishing, camping and snowmobiling with his family and friends. Tim and Laura have three sons, Ryan, Randy and Russel. They have seven grandchildren, Lauren, Ava, Brayden, Ashlyn, Aubree, TJ, and Tanner.