Dinosaurs set free from Piccadilly Park

PLAINS – Piccadilly Park was once the recreation destination of a small town. People would come to enjoy the miniature golf course, the go-carts and the dinosaurs. Owner Les Wood remembers countless summer picnics under the wooden awning. Now the race track is cracked and crumbling. The putt-putt holes are consumed with weeds…and the dinosaurs are gone.

The dino statues that have inhabited Plains for many years have been relocated. Wood decided it was time to set them free. He believes the beloved dinosaurs deserve the best.

“I was approached by a representative of the museum,” he said. “I gave them a real good deal because they [the dinosaurs] are going to a good home.”

The dinosaurs’ new home is the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum in Malta off Highway 2. Three of the four will be on display right away while the T-Rex will first have to be repaired and restored to its former self.

“The T-Rex is going to be in storage for a while,” Wood said. “It has a lot of damage because some kids knocked it over and it was on its side for a while.”

Although Wood is glad the creatures are going to be well taken care of, he says he is going to miss them and their individual beauty.

“What I love about them is their character. The builder really put great details in the muscles and the folds of skin…even the eyes,” he said. “So much personality was put into each one.”

Wood took great care to have the dinosaurs restored so others could better see their unique charm and true value.

“I’ve had hundreds of people want to buy them at ridiculous prices [too low]. They are worth anywhere from $10,000-$20,000,” he said.

For the restoration process, Wood enlisted friend and retired builder Kenton Pies. They worked together to reestablish the dinosaurs as works of art.

The valuable dinos will still be accessible to any who wish to pay them a visit. Wood says he cannot wait to go see them in their new home.

They will not only be a part of the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum, but they will be enhancing the entrance.

The museum has long sought out the right dinosaurs to grace the front lawn, only large fiberglass statues are normally very expensive. A grant known as the Tourism Infrastructure Investment Program (TIIP) is what made everything possible.

The removal of the dinosaurs from Piccadilly Park was quite an ordeal, especially the 26’’ tall, 2,000 pound Brontosaurus. Volunteers worked with care along with Sue Frary, director of programs and exhibits at the museum.

“The help we’ve gotten from the people of Plains has been so great. It’s going to be a real honor to have their dinosaurs in front of our museum to greet visitors. It’s a perfect match,” Frary said.

So what does the future hold for Piccadilly Park? Wood has aspirations for the property.

“I have a non-profit foundation called Valley Vision Foundation and we are slowly building the funds to put a community center here,” Wood said.

All of the money Wood gained from the sale is going towards the Valley Vision Foundation and, hopefully, the community center.

A community center is the goal, but that goal can only be met with the assistance of others. The Piccadilly Park lot is not big enough for a community center on its own. Wood will need to procure some of the surrounding land in order for the plan to come to fruition.

“If I can get the hospital to sell me five acres over there, or the property here [just behind Piccadilly] to sell me some land, without it costing an arm and a leg then it could happen,” Wood said.

If Wood does not obtain the additional lot then the land will be sold commercially instead.

The official debut of the dinosaurs will occur Saturday, June 7 during the museum’s annual Montana Dinosaur Festival.