Friends of Lincoln State Park

Bicentennial Statue Dedication

Members of the Friends Board of Directors stand next to Willy Loper's Lincoln carving at the April 19th Dedication. Left to right: Dan Wilkinson, Shirley Begle, Bonnie Hohl, and Linda Wilkinson.

Friends Dedicate Statue of Lincoln

Wood Carving by Willy Loper Given to the Park in Honor of Lincoln Bicentennial

Around 30 people gathered at the Lincoln State Park Amphitheatre on Saturday, April 19th to dedicate a beautiful carved wood statue of Abraham Lincoln. The dedication went on despite cold, rainy weather.

The Friends commissioned local artist Willy Loper of Grandview to create the chainsaw carving of a youthful 16th President holding an axe in one hand and law books in the other. During the dedication, Willy Loper (or Chainsaw Willy as he prefers to be called) said that he was very proud to have worked on the statue carved from a sycamore log and thanked his son, Matt, for helping him on the project. Loper recently placed second in a national competition among chainsaw carvers and his work can be found across the area. On April 26th, another piece of his work will be dedicated at the Lincoln Pioneer Village in Rockport.

Friends president, Dan Wilkinson said that the Friends were proud to be making a contribution to the Lincoln Bicentennial and looked forward to Mr. Lincoln taking a prominent place in the park where visitors could enjoy the life-size carving. He also thanked Loper for his enthusiasm and work on the project.

Assistant Park Manager, Phil Brown attended the ceremony and accepted the statue on behalf of Lincoln State Park. He thanked the Friends for donating the staute to the park and also for their continued volunteer and financial support for the park.

Grandview Aluminum manufactured the commemorative plaque on the base of the statue and provided it to the Friends of Lincoln State Park at a steep discount.

The Lincoln Bicentennial celebration will begin Mother's Day weekend with a Boy Scout Encampment and Jamboree where over 4,000 area scouts are expected to attend. On May 11th there will be a ceremony on honor of Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial featuring music, dramatic reenactments, and other activities. Events and activities will continue through 2009 and will include debut of a new play at the amphitheatre in June 2009.

Click on the images below to view more photos from the dedication.