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This was in the Pantagraph (Bloomington/Normal newspaper) this morning. For those of you that were in Atlanta this summer, all the murals are up now I beleive, and in the photo that was in the paper you could see Steve Estes mural in the background. He is definately a BIG addition to the town....
Atlanta's newest resident is one large man
By Phyllis Coulter p.rasmussen@mchsi.com
ATLANTA -- He's been shot with arrows and bullets in drive-by shootings and even hit by a car, but Tall Paul, as he's been nicknamed by his new neighbors, now has his feet firmly planted in Atlanta. Following months of repair and a fresh coat of paint, the 19-foot-tall statue -- an icon of historic Route 66 roadside advertising -- was put up Monday in downtown Atlanta. Now restored, he has already impressed his first visitors.
Six-year-old Kyle Timm, on his way to a doctor's appointment, stood and looked up at the statue in awe as it was being reassembled.
"That's what it's all about," said John Weiss, chairman of the preservation committee of the Illinois Route 66 Association. He has been involved in the restoration project for almost a year.
Weiss predicted tourists and travelers will stop and get their photos taken with the "whimsical" character.
Tall Paul, built to resemble legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan, was one of hundreds of fiberglass advertising statues made starting in the 1960s.
The statue is on permanent loan from the family who owned the Berwyn restaurant where the statue stood from 1963. The hot dog it cradles is a reminder of its previous job.
"They were offered as much as $10,000 for the statue and turned it down. I think that's commendable," Weiss said.
In return for the loan, the village will maintain the statue and erect a plaque telling its story, Weiss said.
Weiss had a lot of work to do on the statue.
An eye had been shot out by a bullet, his foot was damaged when it was hit by a car and pockmarks on his face showed where arrows had hit him.
Weiss, an author and dog trainer, had no previous experience in statue repair but has been involved other Route 66 restoration projects, such as one at an Odell service station.
"We're saving mom-and-pop and apple pie images," said Weiss.
It took city staff more than four hours to set up the statue on a donated lot on Arch Street between Race and Vine. The concrete base was poured about a month ago.
The statue's legs were mounted first, then its torso was added.
Village worker Greg Tucker even crawled inside the statue through a small opening to secure it.
City workers aren't finished. They will landscape the area around the statue with evergreen trees and Christmas lights.
Tall Paul, The Muffler Man
Birth: International Fiberglass. Venice, Calif. Based on Paul Bunyan, the first statue was set up in 1962 in front of a cafe in Arizona.
Career: Used as retail attention-getters. While the hands held anything from axes to hot dogs, many held mufflers in front of service stations -- hence, "Muffler Men."
Distinguishing features: Well-chiseled face, sometimes bearded. Heads have been altered to represent characters ranging from Paul Bunyan to Frankenstein.
Height: 18 to 25 feet tall.
Value: $1,000 to $2,800 when new; now $10,000, 20,000 or more
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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-------------------- John Byrd Ball Ground, Georgia 770-735-6874 http://johnbyrddesign.com so happy I gotta sit on both my hands to keep from wavin' at everybody! Posts: 741 | From: Ball Ground, Georgia, USA | Registered: May 1999
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posted
We will try to get down there after the holidays and take photos of all of it again, including "Tall Paul". Nancy Bennett's "windows" are up and look AWESOME and my mural is up on the wall too. It's just too busy right now to get over that direction. We will keep you posted!
-------------------- Bill Diaz Diaz Sign Art Pontiac IL www.diazsignart.com Posts: 2107 | From: Pontiac, IL | Registered: Dec 2001
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