LOUISVILLE — It barely took 10 seconds before the first motorist passed Thursday, maniacally waving his hand out the driver’s side window.
Animalhouse Veterinary Clinic staff had just stepped back after installing the new incarnation of its popular waving bear statue, facing the intersection of South Boulder Road and Main Street, when the first fan greeted the return of the bear to its familiar pedestal, with a wave and a shout of “Hey, bear!”
The original bear statue, commissioned by late clinic owner Daniel Keith and carved by chainsaw from a cottonwood tree growing at the site, made its debut 22 years ago. Over the years, the bear grew into a Louisville landmark.
When rot first claimed one of the bear’s limbs and then forced management to take down the original wooden statue in January 2012, its absence was sorely noted. The new bear, carved from a single piece of cottonwood, has lived in the lobby of the vet clinic since March, recovering from a 3-foot-long split that formed on its belly while it cured in manager Brian Hanson’s garage.
Animalhouse management deliberated for months whether to repair the replacement bear or have another commissioned, but it went ahead and installed him in time for Halloween, during which the bear wears a variety of costumes.
