Rossland Snow Dance will help to mend Olaus statue
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 49° 04.625 W 117° 48.004
11U E 441571 N 5436333
Born a Norwegian, Olaus Jeldness left his home country as a teenager for greener pastures in first the U.S., then Canada, then again in the U.S. Along with him, he brought his love for and adeptness at downhill skiing.
Waymark Code: WMVVV6
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 05/30/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member lumbricus
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Though not well known internationally or even nationally, Jeldness has left his mark in the areas of both Rossland, BC and Spokane, WA as a superb skier and for spearheading the organization of ski clubs and skiing competitions on both sides of the border. The City of Rossland has honoured him with this magnificent, larger than life bronze statue. It has been placed in front of the historic old Bank of Montreal building on Columbia Avenue, the major street in the city. The statue was formally unveiled Friday January 25th, 2013 during the Rossland Winter Carnival.

The statue, however, underwent some trying times before the public was able to appreciate its grandeur. Forged in China, it was packed in a poorly made crate which came apart during its long voyage to Rossland. The statue was sponsored by a local organization, the "Spirit of Red" (referring to the local ski hill, Red Mountain) who, at the time, was out of money and the statue required costly repairs. They held find raisers, had the statue repaired and it stands there today on Columbia Avenue in downtown Rossland.

Further details, from the Rossland News, follow.

Rossland Snow Dance will help
to mend Olaus statue

JOHN WHITE - Wed Nov 28th, 2012 6:00pm - ENTERTAINMENT
The Spirit of Red will be having a Snow Dance in Rossland Saturday, Dec. 1. The dance starts at 9 p.m. at the Miners’ Hall in Rossland, and will be featuring the vocals of Karli Harrison backed by No Excuse!.

All proceeds are going to the final costs associated with the Olaus Jeldness statue and Spirit of Red member Roly Worsfold hopes they can raise some money for future Spirit of Red events.

As it is now, the organization is out of money as a result of repairs needed on the Olaus statue.

“When they shipped from China the crate was poorly put together,” Worsfold explained. “The (open) wood crate moved, the skis cracked and the pole broke.”

Worsfold said the damage was fairly major, though the statue itself looks awesome.

At the moment, they have a bronze specialist in Trail working on it, and it was a chance to put in some improvements...

In the downtown, templates for the base of the pedestal are set. The base will be done in granite and will be ready for the official unveiling at Winter Carnival in January.

Worsfold also mentioned that the Norwegian officials will be there as well, bringing Jeldness’ heritage to Rossland. The officials set to come include the cultural minister, a journalist and the mayor of Sundal, Jeldness’ hometown.
From the Rossland News
Type of publication: Newspaper

When was the article reported?: 11/28/2012

Publication: Rossland News

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: local

News Category: Entertainment
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