Fairfield couple turns tree stump into ‘Gumby’ character

FAIRFIELD — A Fairfield couple has turned a dying tree in their front yard into a tourist attraction.

Mike and Cindi Burggraaf live at 305 E. Burlington Ave., about four blocks east of the square, and they noticed that a 40-foot-tall ash tree in their front yard was slowly dying as it succumbed to the emerald ash borer. After getting some estimates on the cost of hiring a contractor to take it down, Mike decided to do it himself.

Instead of cutting the tree down to the stump, Mike left about 7 feet of the tree standing.

“My long-term plan was to make a carving out of it, put a face on it,” Mike said. “In the meantime, I’ve got this stump. What should we do with this?”

Mike hatched an idea to create a sort of cartoon character out of the stump. Mike is handy with tools, having worked in home construction, and he’s restored numerous historic buildings in Bentonsport.

To create a character out of the stump, he made arms out of PVC pipe, and gave it two eyes made of sheet metal, a nose, mouth and hands with gloves. He moves the character’s facial features to create different expressions, and moves the arms into different positions, sometimes giving the character a prop to hold like a tennis racket or a football.

After Mike made the face for this character, he and Cindi noticed it looked a lot like the clay animation character “Gumby.”

“The first thing that popped into my head was that it looked like Gumby,” Mike said. “I had no intention whatsoever of making it look like Gumby.”

The Burggraafs debuted their “Gumby” character in the spring of 2018. Since then, they have altered the character with a new theme every four to six weeks. The theme often depends on the holiday of that month. For instance, on Thanksgiving the character was holding a turkey next to a row of pumpkins, with a sign above its head that read “Be Thankful.” In December, the character was tangled up with a string of Christmas lights.

Mike brainstorms ideas, and bounces them off Cindi. Once they come to a consensus, Cindi fetches the supplies needed to implement the theme. Cindi has been cataloging each design by posting a photo of it to her Facebook page.

Those who drive by the Burggraafs’ property today will see a Valentine’s Day theme. The character is stretching out its hand holding a bouquet of flowers.

“It’s fallen in love with another tree in the front yard,” Mike said.

In January, Mike placed a walker at the base of the tree, and gave the stump white hair and a white beard. It held a sign saying “Ol’ Man Winter is Here.”

The themes are usually comical, but sometimes they’re serious. For Veterans Day, the character held a folded American flag to its chest as a teardrop fell from its eye. The sign on its head read “Thank You Veterans!”

“I try not to get political,” Mike said. “On subjects like [Veterans Day], I want people to stop and think, to search their own heart.”

In the run up to the 2020 election, the Burggraafs used their stump to encourage people to vote. The character’s sign read “I wood.”

“I liked that play on words,” Mike said.

Mike and Cindi said they’re not decorating the tree stump to get attention, just to have a little fun. Mike said he tries to decorate it quickly, but people walking by still catch him.

“They tell me, ‘We sure enjoy your tree,’” Mike said. “We’ve gotten letters about it, and a lot of nice comments, all positive. Gee, if this is making people feel good, I’d hate to quit now. I’ll keep it up as long as the stump stands.”

Cindi said she’s met so many people who have told her they love the tree.

“A couple of people say it makes their kid’s day when they drive by it,” she said. “One asked if they could take a photo of their kid next to the tree. Somebody dropped off treats on our porch, saying ‘Thanks for making the neighborhood fun.’”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com