DIXFIELD — Bullrock’s replacement may have been found in Farmington.

Dixfield’s famous icon, a life-size wooden moose named Bullrock, proudly stood in the town’s Village Green for more than 10 years until extremely strong winds from a July 6 thunderstorm toppled and destroyed it.

The Village Green has looked empty to many locals with the absence of the familiar statue. Many townspeople expressed their desire to replace Bullrock.

The Dixfield Economic Opportunity Council agreed and began exploring options, including contracting Ted Walker, Bullrock’s original sculptor, or another sculptor to make Bullrock II, or to find another moose already sculpted.

The cost of making another full-scale model was determined to be $5,000 and the time to make it at one month.

The council, at the same time, decided to begin a Return of Bullrock fundraising effort.

Recently, news came to the council of a wooden moose sculpture similar to Bullrock in Farmington. Council members have made several trips to Farmington to check out “Morty the Moose,” who prominently holds fort outside the Riverbend Property Real Estate office building on Front Street.

The council was pleasantly surprised to hear that Morty’s owner was asking $2,000 for the five-year-old statue.

On Thursday morning, council members decided to pursue the purchase of the Farmington moose.

In attendance at Thursday morning’s council meeting was Carol Granfield, former Dixfield town manager and a member of the DEOC group 10 years ago when Bullrock became a fixture in the town.

Council Chairwoman Norine Clarke agreed that if the Farmington moose was purchased, it should be transported with the utmost care by professional and fully insured movers.

Council member Bill DeVries expressed his desire that the moose’s physical soundness be checked by a professional prior to the purchase.

The committee estimated that Dixfield could reasonably get five years of service from the Farmington moose, given Bullrock lasted 10 years and the Farmington moose was five years old.

The council also talked about means to protect Bullrock II once it arrived on the Village Green. Some of the protective moose measures included erecting a winter canopy over it, perhaps a canopy with a naturalistic facade, or putting the moose on a movable foundation that could be rolled under cover during the winter months.

The council had decided to expand its fundraising efforts by selling Bullrock T-shirts designed and produced by Barbara Lane of Hot Colors Screen Printing of Norway.

The shirts, available in tangerine, green and gray, will bear the lettering “Our Moose is Loose” on the front and an artistic rendering of Bullrock on the back with the lettering “Supporting the Return of Bullrock.”

The shirts will be on sale for $10 at the Dixfield Town Office in a matter of days. They will also be on sale at Log Cabin Craftsworks in downtown Dixfield and at the Dixfield Outdoor Market Day on Sunday, Aug. 21.

For those who wish to lock up a shirt before they are sold out, advance orders are being taken by Clarke at 562- 8816 or by stopping in at Log Cabin Craftsworks.

 dfayen@sunjournal.com

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