By Tina Fisher Cunningham
The Forde Files No 102
Whimsical carvings safe in new homes
The Forde Files No 102
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Three of the four stump carvings removed from Philip Marx Central Park on Aug. 17 found a new home with a concerned neighbor who lives across the street from the park. Instead of sending them to be destroyed, the tree trimmers helped move the amusing sculptures to her property. She reports that people frequently stop to admire the large one that now sits in her front yard. She plans to place it decoratively between trees. A fourth sculpture, the popular frog, went to live with another neighbor.
Neighbors of Philip Marx Central Park have adopted four carved stump sculptures that the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Park District ordered removed Aug. 17 for safety reasons.
Charles Jones, 30, said he was "devastated" when he saw the tree trimmers cutting the stump carvings, which had become iconic attractions since then-Rec & Park district Manager Gary Opferman commissioned artist Kent Holmgren to create them in 2008. The playful, funny faces emerging from dead and dying trees has inspired many a chuckle and family photo-op.
"They told me they were going to destroy them," Jones said, referring to the tree trimmers who were cutting the stumps at the direction of Rec & Park. He asked if he could have the frog sculpture that was irresistible to children and just the right height for small youngsters to climb on. With the help of the tree trimmers, he transported the prize to his house across the street. He contemplated placing it on a dead spot in his front yard but was concerned about theft, as it is no longer rooted to the ground.
"It'll be treated well," said Jones, who worked for Rec & Park when Opfermann commissioned the carvings.
He has given the worn frog figure a fresh new look, painting it with wood stain – green with yellow spots – and wood protectant.
"I figured it needed a little more attitude," Jones told Forde Files.
Another neighbor retrieved three stump carvings that are more than six feet tall and feature animated faces with bulbous noses. The carvings "will stay where they can be seen," she said. "They are part of this place. They have to stay here. A lot of people seemed to be dismayed [with the removal]."
One of the big carvings, in its temporary spot near the road, attracts a lot of attention, she said.
The Chriso's Tree Trimmers crew, she said, "Were very kind and brought them over here."
The crew removed six stumps in an hour and a half that morning – the Monday after the Mountain Festival – , four of which were carved. One stump carving of a bear remains in the park, near the children's play area.
"Bear" carving by Kent Holmgren, dated 2008, remains standing in Central Park near the playground.
The sudden removal of the stumps triggered emotional reactions from Tehachapi residents who have grown attached to the carvings. Aaron Mauldin, 35, owner of Aaron Mauldin's Jewelry and Loan in Old Town, set up a Facebook page where people could vent and say goodbye http://www.facebook.com/RIPCityParkTreeCarvings. "It provided a place to post memories, a place to talk about it," he said.
The Rec & Park district, which is responsible for the safety of all structures in the parks and must adhere to strict regulations, also removed tree carvings at the Brite Lake camping and fishing area. Various carvings remain at the campground.
Artist Holmgren, who lives in Joshua Tree, works on his carvings several days a week on Tehachapi Boulevard at the entrance to Chriso's commercial yard.
