Sculpture Dedication to Hoot Brown
Telluride Planet Articles On the Dedication
On March 1, 2007, the town of Telluride once again came together to celebrate the life of Hoot Brown. We join in the celebration of a life that was lived in joy and a person that stood for bringing people together. We were lucky to meet and represent this family that was determined to find a way to heal, and in doing that, they remain an important and respected part of their community.
From the Artist: The spinning base, without the bearing system weighs 1,100 pounds. The sculpture, by itself, weighs 435 pounds. The bearing system had been mounted on the 4′ wide x 5′ deep concrete foundation last week, and was ready for the other components when they arrived last night. Two cats, 4 men and a fork lift waited ’till all the skiers and employees had vacated the slopes before heading up to the location above Hoot’s Hood.
The sun was low, temperatures were plummeting, and it was a beautiful evening. The fork lift had little traction, was sinking in the deep snow, and had to be pushed, shoved, and towed into place to lift Hoot and the heavy base. When everything was in place, the ‘guys’ cut the welds that held Hoot to Michael’s long bed trailer, and up he went.
Spectators on the Gondola had their noses pressed to the windows as their cars traveled by the installation sight. Grins were sported by all. Even as employees passed the sculpture while it was waiting for transport, they grinned, and nodded their heads with approval.
Michael and Mark Bosse (employee who fabricated Michael’s spinning design) were the first ones to ‘give it a spin’ after all the bolts held him fast. They just stood there and smiled. Grrrreeaatt Bbiiiigg smiles.
Welcome home.
Our firm urges all ski resorts to keep the mountains safe for our children.
Hoot Brown was killed on March 30, 2006 as detailed in this article A Young Life. His family has created a foundation that Keeps on Giving to kids in Telluride and the Freeride Program.
