BROOKLYN, MI – While driving through Brooklyn, you’ll likely catch a glimpse of a large statue featuring a larger-than-life fictional character.
The legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan has stood around 20 feet tall in front of Knutson’s Sporting Goods, 151 Wamplers Lake Road, for around 12 years. The fiberglass statue has become somewhat of a landmark in the village southeast of Jackson and is among eight recognized Paul Bunyan statues in Michigan.
“A lot of people in the community have come to know where Knutson’s is because Paul is here,” Knutson’s Sporting Goods Vice President Tom Knutson said.
However, during the years, Paul Bunyan’s looks were declining as the paint started to fade and chip away. Knutson said he couldn’t let that deterioration continue.
“He’s just like anything else -- like a house needs painting, he needs to be repainted, too,” Knutson said.
The statue recently received a new paint job from Melissa Prielipp of Sauk Trail Sign Shop. She was recommended by residents Jim and Bette Gouldsberry, who painted Paul Bunyan themselves around 12 years ago. And that was the last time Paul Bunyan had received some much-needed touch ups before this.
Knutson’s Sporting Goods has been in Brooklyn since the late 1950s when Jim Knutson, Knutson’s father, started the business after moving to Michigan from Minnesota. Paul Bunyan was left in the store’s hands when Stagecoach Stop USA on U.S. 12 closed and Jim Knutson was approached by the owners to take the statue because they wanted it to stay in the area, Knutson said.
Prielipp spent a week in early July giving Paul Bunyan his new fresh look. She used paint specifically for fiberglass and everything stayed the same, except she painted his yellow suspenders in full, rather than filling them with designs.
People driving by will notice that Paul Bunyan now shines in the light, and the red-and-yellow colors stand out more. This makes it nicer looking to the eye, but also on camera for those taking pictures with the statue, which is a pretty popular activity, Knutson said.
Prielipp was glad to paint the statue, she said, adding she didn’t realize how famous it was until she was painting and people kept stopping by.
“It’s really a local icon,” Prielipp said.
Currently, Knutson’s Paul Bunyan is holding an American flag, but it will often hold a 14-foot Christmas tree during the holidy season or signs such as “Hiring” at other times, Knutson said.
The statue came with an ax, but Knutson said it needs to be fixed before it can be displayed. He also wants to build a fishing pole that it can hold.
“(He’s been here) long enough that people know to look for him,” Knutson said. “Somebody comes into the area, if they’re looking for the business, we just tell them you can’t miss it, Paul Bunyan is right out front.”
And, if those who know about the Muffler Man statues think this statue looks familiar, it’s because Paul Bunyan is just one of many of these statues made by International Fiberglass that are scattered across the U.S.
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2023-07-25 18:44:00Z
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