Byesville Rotary learns about Byesville Scenic Railway Miners statue project

Pictured: Phyllis Jeffries, Byesville Rotary President; Steve Stolarik, Byesville Scenic Railway.

Reading for Jan. 19:

• January Rotarian, "President's Message," p. 1 and "Nowhere to go," p. 32.

Snowy weather schedule:

• Rotary meeting cancelled if Rolling Hills School District is closed.
• Meeting will be held if Rolling Hills School District is on 2 hour delay.

Members who did not bring canned meat to the meeting can bring their meat donations to the Jan. 19. meeting.

Committee meetings:

• Golf Outing Fund Raiser: Co chairs--Larry Miller and Chris Morris. Contact one of them to work on the committee.
• Budget Review: Co-chairs--Bob Long and. Chuck Fair. Members--Joe Waske, Tanya Hitchens, Dan Navicky, Shana Fair. Contact one of co-chairs to serve in this committee.

Steve Stolarik, History and Museum coordinator for the Byesville Scenic Railway, updated members of the Byesville Rotary about progress made toward purchasing a statue of a miner. The statue will commemorate the miners of Guernsey County.

Byesville Scenic Railway selected a Zanesville artist, Alan Cottrill, to create a bronze, 6 foot high sculpture. Many people riding the train are repeat visitors. Steve feels that people come back because they are trying to get in touch with their ancestors and the history of members of their families. The bronze statue will help people retrieve their past.

“Because people are trying to understand their past,” Mr. Stolarik stated, “it was important that the statue represent a real miner—dirty and raggedy.” Viewers examining the sculpture closely will find that the miner is missing a finger. Steve said that the missing finger represents every miner injured on the job.

The budget for the statue is $36,000. This figure does not include the cost of the base needed to hold the sculpture in the ground. The base will be of black concrete molded to look like the floor in a coal mine. Cost for the base is estimated at $2,000. To date, $17,404 has been contributed to the sculpture project by visitors who have ridden the train. The Scenic Railway expects to be able to install the statue in two years. To make a contribution toward the construction of the Byesville Scenic Miners statue, contact Steve Stolarik at history@bsrw.org.

Currently, two other miners, created by the Dickens Village artists and sponsored by Byesville Rotary, sit in the train depot. Many visitors pose with the miners for pictures. Steve expects that people will want to have pictures taken with the bronze statue. The statue will be mounted on a low base to keep it accessible to visitors.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, January 19, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.