Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and just in time for Christmas Around Town!!
The approximately 40-year old Santa statue, that has been an icon in the City of Three Rivers for many years, was beginning to look his age. The City staff evaluated in-house options for Santa rehabilitation, but budget cuts, time constraints, and space limitations quickly led to an end for that option. Then, someone suggested contacting the local auto body shops to see if anyone was interested in assisting us with the Santa project. When Brian Kaiser, with K & D Body Shop, was contacted about the project he was excited to help bring Santa back to looking like he did in his younger years. Brian and his staff took on the task of power-washing, sand blasting, and re-painting Santa.
The photos attached show the story of Santa’s rehabilitation project. The first photo is Santa still in his summer storage location and looking forward to the work that will soon be completed. The second photo is Santa after his sandblasting has been completed. Most of the paint was removed, but due to the fragility of the fiberglass, some paint remained. The third photo is Santa’s feet in the paint booth at K&D. The fourth photo is our local artist painting Santa’s face. The fifth photo is Santa’s new face. The final photo is Santa up for the holidays.
Come and visit our rehabilitated Santa located along West Michigan Avenue, near the Scidmore Park Petting Zoo.
The City of Three Rivers would like to give a very special THANK YOU to K&D Body Shop for donating their time and materials for the Santa renovation. We would also like to thank a local artist for donating their time to painting the beautifully detailed Santa face.
