THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The years have not been kind to Louie the Lumberjack.

His torso is rotting, his limbs are cracking, and his feet have fallen off.

The three-metre-tall, 450-kilogram cedar statue has greeted visitors to Flagstaff for decades from his post outside one of the city's oldest restaurants, Granny's Closet.

Now it's time for a makeover.

Flagstaff builder Wally Baird took Louie home and is redoing his face, chest and feet using auto body filler.

He's also giving him a bigger axe and a new paint job.

Baird first restored the statue 20 years ago, and he wants it to be around another 20 years.

"There's some stories to him," Baird says. "He was shot in the left leg during a robbery attempt. There's a bullet in there."

Louie is slated to be back at Granny's Closet in August.

-

Information from: Arizona Daily Sun, http://www.azdailysun.com/