Resident Rick Williams had the trunk of his weeping willow tree turned into a baseball-themed wood sculpture.
Locals who regularly drive down Central Avenue might have noticed something slightly different in the past few months.
The massive, decades-old weeping willow tree that was in front of Rick Williams’ house is gone, and from the tree’s nine-foot trunk was carved a baseball-themed sculpture featuring a bright blue batter and radiant red catcher at home plate.
Williams, who had his house built in 1985 and has lived there ever since, said the tree had to come down earlier this year when he wanted to install solar panels on the roof of his home and learned the tree would interfere with the efficiency of the installation.
Although Williams said he’d never considered having a wood sculpture on his property before, with the removal of the tree, Williams said he began to give some thought to the option.
“I knew it (wood carving) was done, but I never really paid attention to it until then,” Williams said. “The tree was just so nice so I didn’t want to lose it. I wanted to have something.”
Williams said he found Ackmonsters Chainsaw Art out of Bridgeton, where chainsaw artist/wood sculptor Brian Ackley travels throughout South Jersey to practice his craft.
After 11-and-half-hours out of Williams’ day and $800 out of his pocket, Williams was the proud owner of his very own wood sculpture.
“I can tell you, the man was tired when he was done,” Williams said. “The only time he stopped was when he had to re-sharpen his blades or get a drink.”
Williams said he chose the baseball theme as a tribute to his 9-year-old son Adam, who plays on the South Jersey Hawks baseball team.
Williams said his niece’s husband was responsible for painting the sculpture, with blue for the batter reflecting the South Jersey Hawks’ team color, while red for the sculpture’s catcher was chosen simply for contrast.
In the months since the sculpture was created, Williams said the response has been nothing but positive, with many of those who happened to pass by stopping to look more closely or even take a photograph.
“Everybody loves it,” Williams said. “When it was first done, very few cars went by without stopping, and the cell phones came out and the pictures started snapping. Even now, people will stop and look at it.”
Williams said he wasn’t aware of just how many locals had admired the tree, and he said while they were disappointed it had to be cut down, he’s happy he could keep it in some way.
Williams said his wife Liz and son Adam were also pleased with the result.
“They love it. When it was being carved, my son would stay out of the living room, saying ‘I don’t want to see it, I don’t want to see it,’ and then when he came into the living room, sure enough he jumped up onto the sofa and had his eyes peering out the window staring away,” Williams said.
