Washington in Washington

A bronze bust of George Washington was unveiled in Washington?s Central Park Thursday afternoon in front of a few dozen spectators. The bust was made by Steve ?Max? Maxon of Max-Cast this summer as a replacement for the original fiberglass bust, which was becoming worn.

Carlton Bump, a Washington High School art teacher for 35 years, sculpted the original bust in 1976. Carlton is deceased but his wife, Mickey, and a handful of other relatives were in attendance at the unveiling Thursday. Mickey, who is 87 and in a wheelchair, said the new bronze bust was beautiful and that she was so happy to be invited to the event. She said her husband did not talk much about the original sculpture because he was not one to brag about his accomplishments.

?He made so many things people never knew about,? she said. ?I believed he could make anything.?

A few of Bump?s former art students were in the crowd, too, such as John Kessell, who lives in Baltimore. In keeping with the spirit of the evening, Kessell wore a Revolutionary War-era outfit complete with a tri-point hat. He played a drum roll just as Craig and Barb Swift removed the tarp covering George?s head.

Kessell had Bump as an art teacher in the early 70s.

?Carlton was a mentor to me,? said Kessell, who graduated from WHS in 1972. ?He was influential in celebrating Washington and in celebrating fine arts in this town.?

The original bust was unveiled on the bicentennial of the country?s birthday, July 4, 1976. A time capsule was placed under the concrete base the bust sits on. The capsule will be opened on the tricentennial in 2076. In the past couple of years, a few Washington residents began to worry that ?George? wouldn?t last to see his country?s 300

^th

birthday. Craig Swift said that, after 35 years in the hot summer sun and freezing winter, the bust was starting to deteriorate. He wanted to ensure that future generations would remember that the town was named after somebody in particular.

?How many depictions of George are there in town?? he said. ?None, other than this one.?

The Swifts organized several fundraisers to pay for a replacement statue. Craig said they have raised $2,000 and have a little more fundraising left to do. The Swifts also got the idea to do a second time capsule, which is now inside the bronze replica. They set up a table at the farmers market where they passed out slips of paper and encouraged people to write something interesting on them such as jokes or fun facts. The second time capsule will be opened the same year as the first, in 2076.

Washington residents won?t have to worry about replacing the bronze likeness of George any time soon. Doris Park said the bronze will last 5,000 years. Maxon said the bronze will stay in good condition if it is waxed annually.

Maxon removed the original bust in May. He said he plans to restore the fiberglass so that it may be put on display in a public place. He had to repair the fiberglass a little because he needed to use the original bust to make the new bronze one. He made a rubber mold of the original and then used that to make a wax mold. Since he was using molds made from the original, the new bust is slightly smaller than the original. Doris Park said the bronze bust is about 2 percent smaller than the fiberglass bust.

Maxon attached the new bust to the base Saturday and then covered it with a tarp, which was left on until the ceremony Thursday.