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Courage brothers welcome polar bears to Coronation Park Continued from page 22 23 · Friday, October 5, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com "I think it's a fantastic thing that he's done," Trent said. "There's a lot of hours he's put in to do this. Even without the connection of the Polar Bear Dip on Jan. 1, it's just going to be a beautiful piece to have in one of our parks." The Styrofoam piece is a temporary structure and needs to be covered with fiberglass before it can become a permanent outdoor fixture. The wolves and moose at Erchless Estate are made out of cement. "We were originally going to go with white pearl and cement for the bears, but we opted for fiberglass. I think it's more durable," Jackson said. "It will have more longevity. It will be more kid proof. I think these pieces, if anything, would probably be more inviting for kids to climb on. We want to make sure nobody damages the bears or gets injured." Jackson is a longtime artist, as a painter and sculptor with a degree in visual arts from the University of Toronto. Wildlife is a big inspiration, which is often reflected in his work. "It's always appealed to me. I really like wildlife, ever since I was a kid," he said. He has an art studio at the back of his Way Cool Tattoos shop on Kerr Street where he works on smaller scale projects. He also has access to other studio space for larger projects. For the moose and wolves, he partnered with Hudak, his own sculpting instructor. After completing the project, the pieces were displayed at a Cause for Paws fundraiser for the Oakville & Milton Humane Society a few years ago. Since then, the pieces were acquired by the Town and placed at Erchless Estate. "If you go there in the summer time there's all kinds of kids climbing on the wolves; on the weekends there are people getting married down there, wedding parties are having their photographs taken with the wolves and moose sometimes. People really like those pieces," he said. He expects a similar response to the bears. The Styrofoam piece was exhibited during the New Year's dip and was well received with people taking their photographs with the bears. In order to make the bears a reality, Jackson is seeking crowd funding to pay for the fiberglass process and the labour it entails. He has a $17,500 fundraising goal on www.indiegogo. com that ends on Oct. 15. He said it would take approximately a month to complete the fiberglass process, which would leave just enough time to get the piece in the ground before it gets too cold. If it doesn't happen this year, the bears will have to be installed in the new year. For more information on the artist, visit www.bertjackson.ca. ACT NOW!! LIMITED TIME OFFER $ $ $ $ GET UP TO UP TO Striving to preserve their culture in an ever-changing world, two Kenyan Maasai warriors will be in town to talk about their struggles and triumphs to sustain their communities. Wilson Meikuaya and Jackson Ntrikana, authors of the book The Last Maasai Warriors, will be at the Oakville Chapters bookstore, 320 North Service Rd. W. tomorrow (Saturday). Meet with true Maasai warriors at Chapters The pair are ambassadors for their communities and country through the work they do for Free The Children and its sister organization Me to We. Free the Children published the book. The book is an autobiography of the pair's life, as warriors of the Maasai, a proud society of people built on generations of tradition, legend and prophecy. CARRIER REBATE 1450 + + 3100 *Call for details. * IN ® REBATES turn to the experts sm $ A MONTH O.A.C. 39 FROM The pair represent the final generation of Maasai to fight for their way of life, as men who come of age by proving their bravery by slaying a lion and also as leaders who push the community's focus on education in order to help protect its culture and values. The Oakville meet-and-greet event will run from 1-4 p.m. UP TO AIRE ONE INSTANT REBATE 1000 650 UP TO BEST PRICE GUARANTEED * FURNACE DIAGNOSTIC ONLY $ 00 OPA REBATE THE FORECAST CALLS FOR 49 NORMALLY $99 HEATING & COOLING www.aireone.com · 1-888-827-2665 905-849-4998 905-632-0505 9 Locations To Serve You Better! A+ RATING *See dealer for details DOWNTOWN this week SEE WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE TO SAY! "Amazing!" "Best Curry I've had in Canada" "Indian Cuisine at it's Best!" "Fantastic Indian Cuisine" EXCEEDING YOUR EXPECTATIONS IS OUR EXPECTATION! Barrington's Cropped alpaca/wool jacket $795 Celebrating 61 years in Oakville DINING · TAKE OUT · DELIVERY 300 Lakeshore Rd. E., Upper Level Downtown Oakville, at Trafalgar 209 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville, Ontario (905) 845-2031 Order online: www.suvai.ca @classic_indian www.facebook.com/classicindian 905-844-0300 www.barringtons.ca Mon - Fri: 9-6 Sat: 9-5 Sun: 12-5