KENORA — Husky the Muskie, a Canada wide recognized iconic symbol of the City of Kenora, went through a 10-day rehabilitation journey that has resulted in a beautiful finished presentation of this iconic mascot.
Frank Hadfield, Dinosaur Valley Studios company president, who grew up in Interlake north of Winnipeg, and his team, from Alberta, were given the task of completing this major renovation within a given timeframe.
With the project now complete, Hadfield offered first-hand accounts of what it was like to work at giving this amazing sculpture, the new look it deserved.
When asked what were the most challenging issues, Hadfield spoke about the “elements”. "Battling the elements most of the time was the biggest concern. It made the work a real timing issue, trying to wait for favourable weather,” said Hadfield. “This is why we boarded it in at the top of the structure to keep the rain off,” he added.
Hadfield described how the scale of the project was a challenge, asking you to imagine what it was like being so close to the site. “When you're up close to it, you can’t see the whole thing, so that becomes a challenge,” said Hadfield. He talked about how they had spotters too, helping them with the project because of this challenge.
Throughout the process of determining how the rehabilitation should unfold, Hadfield talked about how the team had to consider where the viewer would be seeing Husky the Muskie. “If you’re seeing it up close, the viewer would have a different perspective. If you’re looking at it from a distance the view is different, so we had to capture the detail,” explained Hadfield.
In spite of the elements that he and his team faced; with the rain and the wind, they finished the project a half day ahead of schedule. He described this as being “A bit of grace from God," said Hadfield.
The detail that Hadfield spoke about was extremely important, so much so that the artist who looked after highlighting this detail, kept this in mind when adding the finishing touches.
Hadfield described how the artist, Sharlie Roes did the painting and added the finishing touches. “She focused on the gills and the roof of the mouth and the fins. These are the jewels of the piece,” he said.
Roes worked at bringing the gills out more and she focused on painting the eye so that it looked like a “pike eye”. Hadfield commended her and her team, for what he described as “budding artists” working with Roes and learning the art skills used for a project of this scale.
Once competed, the City of Kenora took time to thank Northern Ontario Heritage fund Corporation and FedNor for supporting this restoration project. According to the city, this project was paid for and made possible by their funding and that of the City of Kenora’s Municipal Accommodation tax.
The city also acknowledge Hadfield and his team, stating, "We wish to acknowledge the professional team at Dinosaur Valley Studios. We are extremely pleased with the interpretation by Dinosaur Studios, and we are confident the iconic roadside attraction will be here for many to enjoy and for years to come”.
When asked if moving forward, Hadfield and his company team would have to come back to do any form of touch-ups, Hadfield was quick to reply. He stated that, “We put a seal coat on it to protect it from the elements and UV light. It is good for another 10 year run.”
Regardless of what view spectators, visitors, tourists, or Kenora residents may have of this iconic symbol of Kenora, Husky the Muskie will offer a beautiful, breathtaking representation of not only the muskellunge fish that it is; but also as the iconic roadside attraction that will continue to be recognized by Canadians for many years to come.
