A 17,000-pound stainless-steel dinosaur handmade in the Fraser Valley is getting ready to head to its new home overlooking Okanagan Lake.
Metal sculptor Kevin Stone and his wife Michelle of Chilliwack were putting the finishing touches on a Tyrannosaurus rex they call Alice on Thursday (Sept. 14), buffing out heat marks from welds and polishing her to a shine.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e been doing the inside of the mouth and around the eyes making sure it害羞草研究所檚 super clean and fresh looking,害羞草研究所� Kevin said. 害羞草研究所淲e want to have it all wiped down and clean before we ship it.害羞草研究所�
On Tuesday (Sept. 19) the Stones will be following behind the trailer that will haul it 325 kilometres from Chilliwack to Penticton.
Because the 50-foot long T. rex is too big and cannot travel down the highway in one piece, it will be shipped in three sections: the head and chest, the belly and hind legs, and the tail.
And although they have been working on it for more than two years, they still don害羞草研究所檛 even know what she looks like completely assembled.
Alice is so huge, the head and chest portion of her has always been separate from her belly and thick hind legs. She害羞草研究所檚 so tall, she doesn害羞草研究所檛 fit in the Stones害羞草研究所� workshop in one piece.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e super excited to see it together because I don害羞草研究所檛 even know what she looks like,害羞草研究所� Kevin said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 stressful.害羞草研究所�
He admits he害羞草研究所檚 already losing sleep over it.
It害羞草研究所檒l take all day to move the dinosaur made out of mirror-polished, food-grade stainless steel. They害羞草研究所檙e starting around 7 a.m. on Sept. 19 where it害羞草研究所檒l be loaded onto a trailer. Kevin figures they害羞草研究所檒l be in Penticton around lunchtime.
Once there, the belly/leg section will be bolted onto a 14-foot-by-14-foot concrete pad. He害羞草研究所檒l then bolt on the tail to counterbalance the sculpture in order to put her head on.
害羞草研究所淚 hope it fits. I don害羞草研究所檛 know what to expect,害羞草研究所� Kevin said.
All of the bolts will be fastened inside the T. rex and once Kevin害羞草研究所檚 done, he害羞草研究所檒l climb out a hatch located at the top.
When she害羞草研究所檚 completely installed, she will stand about 20 to 23 feet tall at the head.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e hoping it fits like a glove,害羞草研究所� Michelle added.
The man who commissioned it dreamed of owning a giant metal dinosaur since he was a kid, Kevin said. The buyer said it was a female T. rex, and so Kevin named her Alice after a dinosaur from a 1970s children害羞草研究所檚 TV series called 害羞草研究所楲and of the Lost害羞草研究所� that he watched when he was young.
Alice was purchased for $380,000 USD and even though it害羞草研究所檒l be installed on a private waterfront property, the public will still be able to see it without going on the property.
The massive T. rex will be on the east side of Okanagan Lake visible to anyone walking along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail. It害羞草研究所檚 less than a kilometre north of where the trail meets a residential street called Vancouver Place.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 really excited and I害羞草研究所檓 really happy that it害羞草研究所檚 going to a public space in B.C.,害羞草研究所� Kevin said. 害羞草研究所淭his is probably one of the largest sculpture installations in Canada. There害羞草研究所檚 only a handful of really big ones and this one害羞草研究所檚 up there.害羞草研究所�
It害羞草研究所檚 the only sculpture of his on display in Canada for the public to see. All of his other work is either outside the country or in private places in Canada not visible to the public.
It took 26 months to complete. Kevin hired two welders 害羞草研究所� Josh Guretzki and Brandon O害羞草研究所橲hea 害羞草研究所� who also did a huge amount of labour.
害羞草研究所淭hey worked hard on it,害羞草研究所� Kevin said.
The Chilliwack metal sculptor always has more than one project on the go.
Over the past two years, he has finished a number of other pieces including a , and a that was part of a larger and very strange rocket/goat-themed sculpture for a cryptocurrency company.
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During the time they were building the T. rex, they encountered issues.
They realized part of it didn害羞草研究所檛 look right so they re-engineered the entire belly, making it lower by a few feet.
And for several months, they didn害羞草研究所檛 even know where the T. rex was going to be heading 害羞草研究所� the owner changed his mind at one point with plans to have it shipped to his other home on the Cayman Islands. It was confirmed only about three months ago that it would be staying in B.C.
But the biggest challenge was the workshop space.
害羞草研究所淣ot having the correct space to be able to assemble it properly and stand back and look at it害羞草研究所� was the most complicated part of the build, Kevin said.
Now on Sept. 19, Kevin will finally be able to do exactly that. Seeing Alice complete for the first time ever will be an early birthday present for the metal sculptor whose birthday falls on Sept. 20.
害羞草研究所淚 can害羞草研究所檛 wait to see it,害羞草研究所� Michelle said. 害羞草研究所淭o actually stand back and see it together is going to be amazing.害羞草研究所�
