January 26, 2012

BUSINESS WIRE

To accompany the opening of the Wild Eagle steel wing coaster in March 2012, Dollywood theme park commissioned Canadian sculptor Kevin Stone to fashion the country’s largest flying eagle steel sculpture, which features a horizontal wing span equivalent to a four-storey building.

FEATURE | Steel

Canadian makes steel eagle sculpture for Dollywood theme park in Tennessee

PETER KENTER

correspondent

When country singer Dolly Parton’s popular Dollywood family entertainment park unveils its latest thrill ride, The Wild Eagle, in March 2012 it will be accompanied by the world’s largest flying eagle steel sculpture, featuring a horizontal wing span of 48 feet. The US$250,000 eagle is the work of Canadian sculptor Kevin Stone, owner of Metal Animation Studio in Chilliwack, B.C.

The Wild Eagle ride is America’s first steel wing coaster. That means thrill seekers will be strapped onto wings that extend beyond the track. Stone’s eagle sculpture will stand guard in sight of the ride, not far from the Dollywood home of the American Eagle Foundation, an association supporting America’s national bird.

“When we initially conceptualized the art piece, we wanted it to stand as a sentinel to beckon would-be riders to Wild Eagle, but also celebrate our Smoky Mountains heritage,” says Dollywood’s director of construction and development, Brian Dudash. “The sculpture is rugged and natural and certainly complements its environment and the surrounding architecture.”

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Stone says he has always been inspired by natural forms and has built two large steel eagle sculptures prior to this one.

“I always thought that a steel eagle would be a great fixture somewhere in the U.S., whether for a corporation, a government building or a military installation,” says Stone. “I’d already built one large eagle, which has been sold, then another eagle with a 41-foot wingspan that’s still for sale. Dollywood representatives had seen my eagles online and decided to award the contract to me last year. However, they wanted the largest eagle ever built to be created just for them, which is why the Dollywood eagle is even larger.”

Because of its massive size and the fact that the eagle will be located in a heavily attended theme park, the client specified that the eagle needed to be engineered to withstand winds of up to 170 kilometres an hour.

Stone began work on the bird in June of last year, sending out steel material for water jet cutting. He originally considered using a brown rust paint to give the steel bird a tonal range comparable to the plumage of a real bald eagle.

“I chose a mixture of stainless and mild steel,” says Stone. “The soft steel will rust and provide contrast against the stainless steel, giving the eagle a rustic patina suitable for a turn-of the century theme park. I’m hosing down the sculpture every night to get the patina started.”

Construction began with a steel column that would act as the bird’s superstructure. Stone actually constructed two identical columns, one sent ahead to Dollywood and the other to assemble the bird in the shop. Stone has one part-time assistant helping him on the project. Their tool kit consists largely of hand tools, a welding machine, a plasma cutter and a torch.

“The bird is built in three main sections — the body and the two wings,” says Stone. “The eagle is covered with hundreds, if not thousands, of individual steel feathers, which are welded to the sections. The pieces will ultimately be lifted into place by crane and bolted together and then additional steel feathers will cover the bolts.”

Each wing weighs about 1,500 lbs., with the entire eagle weighing in at between 6,000 and 7,000 lbs. Assembled, the crest of the eagle’s head rises to two storeys.

When complete, the eagle will be loaded on a semi-trailer and make the five-day journey to Pigeon Forge, Tenn. where Stone will oversee its assembly in mid-February. He’ll also be on hand when both the statue and the Wild Eagle coaster are unveiled at the park’s seasonal opening on March 24th.

“If I can get my kids down there, I’ll be riding that coaster with them,” say Stone.

A video diary of Stone’s progress can be seen at the Dollywood website.

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