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Dino disaster averted: Whittle the Wood’s damaged raptor carving to be repaired by Craig staff after accident

Craig's winning wood carving for the 2019 Whittle the Wood Rendezvous was damaged Sunday, June 16.
Clay Thorp/Craig Press Staff

Just as movie magic brought prehistoric creatures back to life, so too will city staff restore their wooden likeness to its former glory.

The winning carving for this year’s Whittle the Wood Rendezvous was damaged after a photo mishap Sunday, June 16 left it in several pieces.

Craig Parks and Recreation Director Dave Pike said a father and his child were trying to take a picture together inside the metal barrier protecting this year’s wood carvings when the raptor broke into three pieces.



“What happened was a guy tried to take a picture with the raptor and his little kid and they accidentally tipped it over,” Pike said Monday.

The winning carving for the 2019 Whittle the Wood Rendezvous was damaged in a photo mishap Sunday, June 16.
Clay Thorp/Craig Press Staff

The man called the city to report the accident as soon as it happened, according to Pike, who added the raptor broke in several places that had previously been glued and screwed — a process the city repeat in order to fix the carving with relative ease. 



“It’s an easy fix and all will be right in the world again,” Pike said.

The winning raptor carving was the handiwork of Montrose’s Ken Braun, who collected the grand prize of $1,000 for the work he named “Blue,” a depiction of the velociraptor of the same name from the movie “Jurassic World.”

Braun said he chose the figure about a week ago after watching the movie, seeing the reptilian antihero as terrifying yet likable.

“I thought, man, that’s a character everyone can relate to,” he said.

Ken Braun triumphantly rides atop Blue the velociraptor after winning first place in the 20th annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous. Braun also won People’s Choice and tied for Artist’s Choice.
Andy Bockelman

Pike said despite this year’s winning raptor having been ravaged, this year’s Whittle the Wood went quite well.

“This one probably was as smooth as any I can remember,” Pike said.

Between now and next year, Pike said the community should report any vandalism of the city’s iconic statues.

“I was really surprised to see the hippie’s hand gone this spring,” Pike said.

Andy Bockelman contributed to this report.

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