Katie Powell, reservations specialist with Alaska Waters and 56 North, stands next to Spruce the Moose, a 7-foot-tall driftwood sculpture created by artist Sigrid Vanek and gifted to the business.
Pieces of a plaque made of driftwood are being etched and stained to appear with Spruce the Moose.
Katie Powell stands next to Spruce the Moose, a driftwood sculpture created by Sigrid Vanek, in front of Alaska Waters and 56 North. The sculpture is nearly 7 feet tall.
It would be hard to miss a nearly 7-foot moose in downtown Wrangell. Such is the case with a new addition in front of the Alaska Waters and 56 North storefront.
A driftwood statue of a moose gifted to the business by its creator is helping to attract customers, generating selfie opportunities and producing lots of offers.
Named "Spruce the Moose," the statue was created by Sigrid Vanek between Memorial Day and the end of June when she returned to Soldotna.
"I've created probably about five moose," Vanek said in a phone interview last Friday. "I had to redo the ones in Wrangell a couple of times, with all the rain ... and with the wind, my last one fell over and broke apart."
She's made a couple in Soldotna, one of which was given to her niece as a wedding present.
Vanek started making driftwood statues about eight years ago when she saw a horse made from driftwood. Though she's always been artistic, it was the first time she'd worked with the wayward wood of the sea. Her very first sculpture was a moose. The second was "a little eagle with attitude that somebody bought," she said.
Vydell Baker, who works for Alaska Waters and 56 North, is Vanek's granddaughter, which is how Spruce came to live at the business.
"We all love it," said Katie Powell, the reservation specialist for Alaska Waters. "We've named him Spruce the Moose. Someone said it and it just kind of stuck."
Powell said they had been kicking around some other names, but Spruce is the one that grew on them.
Vanek built Spruce using driftwood she found along Wrangell's shoreline, using smaller pieces for the inside and frame. She said she would cut those pieces where necessary to strengthen the frame, however she kept the pieces used for the "skin" whole. She removed any bark to reduce moisture absorption. The statue is held together with screws and zip ties.
Powell said Grace Wintermyer created the base for Spruce and reinforced the legs. She is also creating a plaque made of driftwood with the business names and Vanek's name burned into it to accompany the moose.
Spruce has generated a lot of interested in the short time he's been hanging out in front of the business.
"People really love him," Powell said. "I'll walk outside and people are constantly taking selfies with him. I think he's going to be a great point for people to visit here in Wrangell and take pictures with."
In the off-season, Spruce will be kept in the back of the store to keep from being damaged by winter weather. But, for now, he'll stand watch over Front Street.
"I consistently get people asking if they can buy him from me," Powell said. "I think it's really funny. I say, 'He's not for sale.' 'How much would you take for him?' 'But he's not for sale!'"
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