Gimli’s iconic Viking statue gets a fresh appearance
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$19 $0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then billed as $19 every four weeks (new subscribers and qualified returning subscribers only). Cancel anytime.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/05/2015 (3255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Vikings don’t often get facelifts, but…
The iconic Gimli Viking has new life. The 48-year-old statue restoration was unveiled on Friday in a community ceremony.
“The Viking Statue is extremely important to the community,” said Gimli mayor Randy Woroniuk. “As well as being enjoyed by Gimli residents, the statue draws tourists here every year. Getting your photo taken with the Viking is a tradition.”
The municipality had been working on the project to refurbish the statue since 2006. In February, the council dedicated $60,000 to the project. The province chipped in $15,000 towards the facelift in 2011.
The Viking was originally commissioned by the Gimli Chamber of Commerce as a Canadian Centennial fundraising project in 1967.
However, after almost a half century standing guard over the town, on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, the statue was showing signs of age. The R.M. of Gimli commissioned the Alberta firm, Dinosaur Valley Studios, to repair the statue. The company’s president, Frank Hadfield, is a former resident of Inwood and is of Icelandic descent. It took the crew from Dinosaur Valley Studios approximately 2 weeks to clean, repair and coat the statue, giving him a fresh appearance.
“Everyone who comes to Gimli visits the iconic Viking statue, and we are committed to creating a vibrant and beautiful park that also honours the contributions made by the town’s Icelandic settlers and their descendants,” says Cam Arnason, IFM President. “We are very grateful to the R.M. for dedicating resources to ensure the Viking statue’s longevity for years to come.”
The Viking Statue was designed by Gissur Eliasson, of the University of Manitoba, at a cost of $15,000. The statue was sculpted by Giorgio Barone. It was dedicated by then-President of Iceland Asgeir Asgeirsson in 1967. The statue is 4.6 meters or 15 feet tall and is constructed entirely of fiber glass. A plaque installed on the statue says: Vikings – Discoverers of America – 1000 A.D.
