WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- A massive wood sculpture honoring a deli owner's father has caught the attention of many folks in Wilkes-Barre.
For the last five years, High Street Deli in Wilkes-Barre has been known for its tasty subs. Now, when customers go in to get a bite to eat, they'll be greeted by a massive wood sculpture honoring the owner's father, who passed away in 2016 from a heart attack.
"A while ago, my father, when he was alive last year, he really, really was always talking to me about wanting to get the tree carved. It was always something I wanted to do. I just never got around to it. So when he passed away, I decided it was something I wanted to do for him, plus the store itself," said owner Michael Drozdowski.
It took more than five hours for professional wood sculptor Dennis Beach's plan to come to fruition on a sycamore tree.
"A tree like this, I cut a big flat down the front, then rounded it a little bit, took the bark off, sanded it, then drew it all then. Then you have the sanding and the Dremel tools to touch up the little stuff," Beach explained.
Beach says the piece of art is about nine feet tall. As Newswatch 16 was doing the story, plenty of cars stopped to just get a glance.
"It's very awesome. I like that. First time I've ever seen anything like that before, very nice," Willy Rivera said.
Beach is thrilled with how it turned out. The next step is applying paint.
"I love it! It's cool," said Beach. "The guy is really cool and I nailed it. Sometimes you don't nail it, but this time, I nailed it. It looks just like the logo. I can't wait to get a little color on there, get a little yellow on the shirt and some red and the lettering and stuff."
"I think it would mean a lot to him," Drozdowski said. "I think he'd know that I'm doing good. I think he'd know that I'm here with him and it's pretty neat. It's something special to me."
Drozdowski hopes that with people stopping by to see the sculpture, they'll also pop in for some food.