Advertising once adorned the sides of commercial buildings, but man-about-the-state Rick Charbonneau found that this colorful mural has a more recent history. Where is it and what story does it tell? Send an e-mail with the answers to ColoradoSunday@denverpost.com. Include a digital photo of yourself and your full address in the message. Our favorite correct answer wins a $50 gas card.
HOW’D YOU KNOW?
Last week:
The winner: Joelle Keith, Sterling
As a little girl, I remember playing in Columbine Park, where this whimsical giraffe sculpture is located. I always imagined the giraffes came to life when I wasn’t looking, and wished one would bend down to eat out of my hand. “Skygazers” is the name of this wondrous tree sculpture. It was created by Brad Rhea, a sculptor who has given many old trees new life through his handiwork. Over time, the wood had been slowly worn down by the elements, and wasn’t going to last long. So the citizens of Sterling had this sculpture cast in bronze, allowing the giraffes to eternally graze the sky.
In prose:
Debby and Lyle McBride, Haxtun
Skygazers, 1984
Giraffes stretching skyward
To nibble on a passing cloud
Lounging serenely in columbine park
Where they gather quite a crowd.
Sculpted from an elm tree
That was diseased and doomed to die
Now it will live in harmoney
A sentry 16 feet up in the sky.
Bradford Rhea was born in Denver
And his passion for art grew vast
He moved to Eastern colorado for solitude
In a county that was a contrast.
Inspired by scripture, his driving force,
Bradford’s creation was unveiled
In “The City of Living Trees”
And Sterling is now hailed.
