The owner of an Upper Peninsula sculpture park that is typically open for free 24 hours per day has announced that the park is closed to snowmobilers for the rest of the season because of vandalism.
“Do not expect bonfires, coffee, or hot cocoa for the rest of this winter,” Tom Lakenen said in a Facebook post on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Lakenenland is a 37-acre sculpture park that includes a sculpture trail, a winding road through the woods featuring more than 100 of Lakenen’s “whimsical, colorful and sometimes ‘tell it like it is’ metal art sculptures showcasing his tremendous talent for turning junk metal and scrap iron into awe inspiring, entertaining works of art,” the park’s website says.
The park is located along M-28 just east of Harvey.
“Over the past 25 years I’ve built more than 100 sculptures from scrap iron,” Lakenen says on the website. “If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop by and check them out. My park is open 24hrs and free to the public 7 days a week.”
Lakenen’s Facebook post this week includes a photo of the main entrance with multiple signs tied to chairs that say “no sleds, walk only.” There are orange cones and a rope across the entrance.
Lakenen said the only exception to the snowmobile ban would be for neighbors along M-28 and Shot Point Road, who use the park to access a nearby trail.
Lakenen, in his post, did not say exactly how the sculpture park had been vandalized.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: UP sculpture park tells snowmobilers to stay away. Here’s why
Reporting by Dan Basso, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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