Family donates wooden bear carving, headed to Erickson Park

While city leaders in La Crosse have spent the winter debating works of art such as the Big Indian statue and a blue baby in an egg, yet another piece of art is about to be moved into a city park.

A tall bear carved out of a tree will soon have a home in Chad Erickson Memorial Park, on La Crosse’s far south side.

Lisa Hillyer’s mother displayed the bear outside the family’s house for decades and the family offered it to the city.

“My mom has lived in that area for 60-plus years,” Hillyer said. “She recently passed. She had this bear carved out of one of the trees and you could see it from the park.”

The house is just half-a-block from the park. Arrangements are being made to have the bear moved from that yard to a display site inside Erickson Park.

The bear is being donated by the Nederloe Family in memory of Du Wayne and Kathryn Nederloe.