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Saturday, July 5, 2008
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Jenkins has its own Paul now BIZ BUZZ Senior Reporter A roadside attraction of a tall Paul Bunyan with an ax over his shoulder to symbolize the area's logging history and the folklore of the giant lumberjack was added to Jenkins last week.
The sculpture was created by artist Josh Porter, Avalon Studios, for Rick and Leah Beyer, who own the A-Pine restaurant and A-Pine Express station in Jenkins. The statue now rests in the park area the Beyers created between the restaurant and station.
Rick Beyer said he thought the statue would be a nice addition, particularly because of the close proximity of his businesses to the Paul Bunyan Trail and the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway. With the new stoplight slowing Highway 371 traffic, Beyer said the park and statue - with its obvious attraction as a photo stop - would give people another reason to stop.
"I think it's just something nice for people to be able to see that and the nostalgia of the area and keep the history alive of the logging," Beyer said.
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The lakes area has a new roadside attraction in Jenkins. A Paul Bunyan statue was placed in the park by the A-Pine restaurant and A-Pine Express/Shell in Jenkins Tuesday. The sculpture, constructed of steel, foam and fiberglass, is almost 13 feet tall and weighs more than 400 pounds. Josh Porter, Avalon Studios, designed and created the sculpture for Rick and Leah Beyer, owners of the A-Pine restaurant and A-Pine Express station.
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Beyer would like to add a plaque with the Paul Bunyan folklore tied into the area. The copy mixes the legend - It took five giant storks, working overtime, to deliver him to his parents - with information on the Paul Bunyan Trail and scenic byway, area businesses such as the A-Pine and AmericInn Lodge and Suites and Wildwedge Golf and Mini Golf.
And a future addition may be the type of cartoon cutout where people can step behind and put their faces in the opening for a photo opportunity.
The park was completed recently. The Beyers have owned the A-Pine restaurant for 24 years and have owned the gas station for 11 years.
Porter said this statue - roughly twice the size of a regular person - may be his favorite since he's been able to improve on the sculpture over time. This statue, with its stance, resembles Porter's first Paul Bunyan he first created out of clay. Porter created the Paul Bunyan statue at the Welcome Center south of Brainerd and gave a much needed overhaul of the statue dubbed small Paul by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber's offices beneath the historic water tower.
Porter said the Paul Bunyan at Jenkins has brighter colors and is more outdoorsy in its design while keeping with the goal of creating a statue that is not scary to small children. Porter started on the project about three months ago.
Beyer said it was important for him to use area companies for the project and the results exceeded his expectations. Fiberglass Plus of Fort Ripley received the subcontract to do the fiberglass coating for the sculpture. Aspen Signs of Merrifield placed the statue.
The process of how the Paul Bunyan sculpture was created is online at www.avalonsculpture.com.
Another online connection comes for the OxTrot, the public art expedition that has the 23 ox statues throughout the lakes area this summer. A video produced by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber about the project - www.youtube.com/watch?v=frgPdPmhWXc - is available on You Tube.
Consumers of health care may go online to find more data on how effective health care professionals are in providing care for diabetes and vascular disease. Information from 2007 includes more than 345 clinics in Minnesota are included along with bordering areas in Wisconsin and North Dakota.
The information is available at www.mnhealthcare.org and is provided by the MN Community Measurement.
The organization, founded by Minnesota's health plans and the Minnesota Medical Association, is a nonprofit organization with the stated goal of improving the quality of health care in Minnesota by publicly reporting quality results.
MN Community Measurement reports its ratings find the quality of diabetes care is improving.
The Brainerd License Office on the corner of Jackson Street and Fourth Street Northwest in Brainerd, known as the Minnesota Auto & Drivers License Office, moved into its new offices over the Fourth of July weekend and will open Monday. Kuepers Inc. provided the construction effort for the new building, created on a vacant lot.
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The expansive Timberlake Lodge with hotel, event center, Grand Splash Pool and Water Slide and restaurant/lounge was recently completed as a Kuepers Inc. project Owners of the facility are Mike and Mary Ives, who own the Super 8 in Baxter as well as the Super 8 in Grand Rapids. The facility includes a business center and exercise room and other guest amenities such as spa suites, poolside rooms and extended stay rooms.
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The new office is expected to provide much greater access than the old quarters just off Washington Street across from the Dairy Queen where parking and accessibility were an issue. An extra station was created to help serve customers in the new building. The design allowed the office to utilize space more effectively. The office currently employs about 12 people.
The Nisswa Chamber of Commerce is getting a major facelift this summer, the chamber reported, in a two-phase project - with Hall Landscaping & Dock Service of Nisswa, chamber officials and the Nisswa Garden Club - that is expected to continue in autumn.
Phase One, paid for with donations of the Nisswa Lions Club, Nisswa Area Women of Today and the Nisswa Chamber, includes sod and fieldstone pathways. Phase Two includes selling engraved pavers, which can include family names, business names, even special pets or dates, for $100 each. The pavers will go around the chamber building. The chamber reported it hopes to sell enough pavers by July 15 to begin the work this fall. Pavers may include three lines with 12 to 15 characters for each line. For more information, contact the chamber by e-mail at mary@nisswa.com or call the chamber.
In Brainerd, the downtown parking lot between the Blue Ox and Downtown Art and Frame was getting the start of a facelift just before the Fourth of July, the Brainerd Lakes Chamber reported. The project was going forward with the help of the Master Gardeners and Blue Ox owner Rick Madges, neighboring business and property owners, a Sentence to Serve crew and others. The chamber reported donations from business and property owners were covering the project cost.
RENEE RICHARDSON, senior reporter, may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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