BANGOR, Maine — For 65 years, Bangor's Main Street has been overseen by a 31-foot tall, 3,700-pound statue of the famed lumberjack, Paul Bunyan.
Nearing 15 years since its last paint job, the statue is showing its years. The city has set aside $15,000 to give the statue a needed facelift as well as add five informational kiosks.
The statue, a popular site for Bangor tourists, was an idea proposed in 1959 during planning for a celebration of Paul Bunyan's 125th birthday. The committee had come up with the idea and recruited local artist J. Normand Martin to design the structure.
His son, Jay Martin, recalls his father's planning.
"Somebody suggested my dad as artist. So, dad said, 'Sure, I’ll give it a try.' And a week later on our kitchen table, the scale model was completed," Martin said.
The new plaques will inform visitors of the history of the statue, the legends of Bunyan, and Bangor's history as the logging capital of the world.
Martin hopes that visitors to the statue will be inspired to investigate the lumberjack's lore further.
"Really, just learn more about it. It's a fantastic story and he is really our first and greatest folk hero in this country," he said.
Tracy Willette, Bangor's director of parks and recreation, estimates the project will take a week to complete. No concrete completion date is available, given the acute sensitivity to weather, but Willette says the project should be done by the end of August.
Those visiting during the painting should anticipate an obstructed view.
"We try to certainly put some temporary barriers around it because of the paint in the air and the equipment around it," Willette said.
It should be another 10-12 years before the statue needs another touch-up, leaving plenty of other weeks for Bunyan fans of all ages to enjoy the three-story tall outdoorsman.