A small southwest village now boasts a larger-than-life wooden carving of hockey icon Don Cherry,
Mortlach business owner Mike Beaudoin commissioned the piece which stands at the village's entrance along the Trans-Canada Highway.
“Forty-five days ago, Don Cherry was a tree,” he said. “The sheer size of it, knocking down this is 80-foot tree and bringing it over here, and nine days later Don Cherry is standing there, suit and all. It’s just mind-boggling.”
Carved by artist and sculptor Darren Jones, the statue is the first installment of a developing outdoor exhibition and doubles as a nod to Cherry’s 90th birthday earlier this year.
The Coaches Corner commentator can be seen posing with his signature finger-gun, accompanied by his late dog Blue.
While it’s already become a common photo-op for travelers, it even made its way to Cherry himself via social media.
“We got the phone call from Don, thanking us for doing it for his 90th birthday and really appreciate it,” Beaudoin added. “[Mortlach is] a little town off the highway, what we’re trying to do is bring more people here. Allow them to come out and see the artwork, come into the community. We have a small bakery, a secondhand store, a convenience store, and a restaurant. If we could bring 200 people into the community each day, that does it for me.”
The carving was also nominated for the Great Canadian Landmark contest, and residents are encouraging people from coast-to-coast to vote for Don Cherry in the running.