Larry the Logroller statue damaged

WABENO - Separated into three pieces, Wabeno's Larry the Logroller has seen better days.

“Yeah, he's pretty beat up,” said Robert McEwen, Wabeno park board.

A logging crew was clearing trees in the town park Thursday morning.

“They got five or six down, the last one went the wrong way,” said McEwen.

“The tree clobbered him, and he got kind of broke up a little bit,” said Scott Shaffer, Wabeno town worker.

“This morning I heard a woman say, ‘What’s happening to Wabeno? We're losing all our landmarks,’” said McEwen.

This is the second incident in this park in less than a year. In May of 2012, a storm leveled the band shell.

• Story: Wabeno band shell leveled by storm

Crews were clearing trees to minimize future storm damage in the park.

Meanwhile the Sherman tank in this park escaped damage, as did the steam-driven tractor nearby.

“They were concerned with the steam engine. They didn't want it to fall on that because evidently it's very hard to replace them parts,” said McEwen.

Town workers loaded Larry onto a makeshift ambulance and carted him away.

“I had a tear in my eye when I saw him laying down there like that. Once I stopped and looked, I knew he could be repaired. He's going to get all fixed up like I say. He's going to come out of this better than before,” said Shaffer.

Park leaders say workers can fix the 15 foot fiberglass statue and the Legend of Larry the Logroller will carry on.

“He's a real strong guy to begin with so, not too many people can take a hit like that from a tree, and just get knocked down,” said Shaffer.

The town hopes to have both the new band shell and a repaired Larry ready to go in the spring.