With work taking just over a week, wood carving and chainsaw artist Jacob Lucas of Bonney Lake completed carving a new “Big Ole” lumberjack statue at the Morton Loggers’ Jubilee Arena on Wednesday, May 28.
“I got done last night at 9 o’clock,” Lucas told The Chronicle on Thursday, May 29.
Lucas said he worked to ensure the new Big Ole was as close to a perfect copy of the original Big Ole lumberjack statue, which was carved in 1983 by Rod Blair.
“He is quite the pioneer of chainsaw carving. Back then, they didn’t have all the tools that we have now, but he did a great job,” Lucas said.
Although the wood finish is a different color, Lucas’ Big Ole is a copy of Blair’s Big Ole, from the beanie to the boots.
“He’s so perfect, and he’s just like the old one almost to the inch,” Lucas said.
Lucas was commissioned by the Morton Loggers’ Jubilee Committee to create the new Big Ole as the wooden base of Blair’s Big Ole had rotted and needed to be removed.
In addition to carving the new Big Ole, Lucas also refinished and repainted the Loggers’ Jubilee sign, which accompanied Big Ole where the statue used to stand, greeting visitors turning in to Morton off U.S. Highway 12 at the intersection of Second Street and Westlake Avenue.
A cedar log was used for the new carving. It was donated by the Thornton family’s Pleasant Valley Ranch near Mineral. Jim Severson, of Severson Road Contractors in Mineral, hauled the log to the arena for free.
While Lucas is now off to Oregon to compete in a wood carving competition this weekend, he said the Morton Loggers’ Jubilee Committee will be adding the finishing touches over the next month, including tipping Big Ole on its side to treat the wood on the bottom of the statue’s base.
Lucas will be returning for the upcoming 82nd annual Morton Loggers’ Jubilee festival, scheduled to run from Aug. 7 through Aug. 10, where he will have a booth selling his wood carving art at the arena’s entrance.
The Chronicle contacted Morton Loggers’ Jubilee Committee President Devin Peters on Thursday to talk about both the old and new lumberjack carvings.
A block of cedar from the new carving has been set aside to possibly be carved into a new base to replace the rotten one, which was removed.
“We’re tossing around the idea of using that for the new base,” Peters said.
He added Blair’s Big Ole will remain in the Loggers’ Jubilee Arena for as long as possible, with talks being held concerning possibly constructing a shelter structure around the statue to help better protect it from the elements.
Following the conclusion of the Loggers’ Jubilee festival on Aug. 10, Lucas’ Big Ole will be moved out and once again greet visitors entering Morton at the intersection of Second Street and Westlake Avenue.
Devin added another member of the Loggers’ Jubilee Committee will be fabricating a metal bracket to install under the new Big Ole statue’s base at the intersection. The bracket will ensure airflow can properly circulate underneath the statue’s base to prevent the wood rot the old base suffered from.
“Hopefully this new Ole lasts more than 45 years,” Peters said.
He also thanked Lucas for his work on the statue.
“It’s hard for me to put it into words, but his process and how he goes about his business, I think, is perfect,” Peters said. “He did a great job matching it up. I remember telling him, ‘I know you can’t do it exact. If you can get it close, you can put your flair on it.’ He took it as a challenge to make it look as close to the original as he possibly could — and it looks great.”
For more information on Lucas’ wood carving art or to get into contact with him, visit his website at https://jacoblucascarving.com/.
To learn more about the upcoming 82nd annual Morton Loggers’ Jubilee festival, visit the festival’s website at https://loggersjubilee.com/.
