An owl got a pedicure as part of a makeover on the morning of July 6 in Memorial Park.
The owl, of course, is one of Hope’s most beloved chainsaw carved statues. And the manicurist? None other than Gordon Emery, one of a handful of volunteers for the Communities in Bloom (CiB) committee.
The volunteers were out in full force two weeks ago, painting, varnishing, and moving carvings around the town, preparing for the CiB judges’ visit this week. The judges arrived in town to tour the area, and took notes in preparation for final judging.
So the volunteers, including Emery, Robin Alexander, John Mason and Victor Smith, were taking special care with some of the town’s favourite carvings, including the owl at Memorial Park. It was carved by Brigette Lochead in 2009, and is a special tribute to the Purple Lights Nights — a time set aside in October to spread awareness of violence against women.
Emery was busy giving the owl’s claws a deep black hue, while Alexander ensured other details were polished to a shine. Down the sidewalk, the large bear statue was gleaming already. Mason and Smith varnished that statue on that Thursday morning. It’s a beast of a job, and requires scaffolding to reach the top, but they are keen to do it, they say.
Previously, they’ve spent 65 hours reworking each contour of that bear’s shape, Smith said.
The majority of the 80-plus statues around Hope are made of cedar, which is more resilient than the fir used for some of the older statues. A few of them have had to be retired due to rot over the years, Mason says. And it’s getting harder to find good solid chunks of cedar for the purpose of carving, making the effort that goes into maintaining the larger pieces even more important.
They’ve learned another trick to preserving this mammoth collection — to keep them off the ground. Pedestrians around town will notice that many of the statues have been raised onto platforms. This is to keep moisture from rain and snow from seeping into the bottom of the pieces and rotting them out.
There is one empty platform on Wallace Avenue at the entrance to Memorial Park, and on that morning a handful of people stopped to ask what will be going there.
“We don’t know yet!” Smith answered one man, laughing.
The spot is reserved for another month, following the upcoming Hope Chainsaw Carving Competition on Aug. 17. One of the carvings from that competition will be chosen for the prime viewing location, and many others from that day could end up around town as well.
A few of the carvings that have been out of commission are also coming back, having been buffed and polished in someone’s garage recently.
“We gave them a spit and polish,” Smith says.
There are other community improvements taking place prior to the Communities in Bloom judges’ visit, including a massive weedeating project by the District staff. They’ve been spraying the weeds with a mixture of vinegar, soap and salt to battle them back in an eco-friendly manner.
Many of the bursts of colour and beauty around town are there thanks to CiB committee members, including the red and white flower displays. Mason says they are a small group with a lot of heart.
The CiB committee started in 2006, when the City of Langley came to Hope with an offer to compete together. Langley mentored the group, and they’ve been off and running ever since. Hope CiB has competed both provincial and national levels. This year they are competing on a provincial level.
They say their goal is “to make a positive difference, work together to create pride and beauty, inspire the young and old to get involved and most of all, to have fun doing it.”
Towns will be judged on tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscaping and floral displays. They will be awarded a rating of one to five “blooms.”
