As you approach Kennedy Creek Road off Kentucky 10, you may have noticed four large wooden figures, nestled on the hillside.
The large figures, which are called the Bluegrass Boys, can be seen between the trees along the highway and stand at 11 feet tall.
The figures were handmade by Maysville resident Joe Kinder who is an experienced woodworker.
According to Kinder, he was inspired to build the figures after seeing similar figures while on vacation in New England.
“We saw the figures up in New Hampshire and I thought, 'Well I like that,'” Kinder said. “So I decided to build some myself.”
Kinder's wife, Janice Kinder, had never seen anything like it.
“You don't see anything like that around here, or at least I don't,” Janice Kinder said.
According to Joe Kinder, it took about three days worth of work over a week-long period to finish the figures.
“I went up into the woods and sawed some trees down to build the figures,” Joe Kinder said. “They were real tall and straight maples, so I used the maple for the legs and old barn wood for the heads and everything. Then there are old spare keys that were used for the keys on the guitars. The keys are made out of regular keys that are jammed in there, and turn certain ways like they're being tuned.”
Once he began building the figures, Joe Kinder had to decided whether or not he wanted the group of musicians to be a bluegrass band or a rock and roll band.
“I was thinking while making them, do I want rock and roll or do I want Bluegrass,” Joe Kinder said. “And I said well, Kentucky is more bluegrass so I went with that. We are rock and rollers though, to tell you the truth, but bluegrass just fits the territory more.”
According to Joe Kinder, he began to install the figures back in April but just put the final figure up a couple weeks ago.
To keep the figures from falling down, each figure has concrete around the base of the legs.
“The figures are in concrete, so they are permanent,” Joe Kinder said. “I just had to sit them down in the hole, put a cross in to hold them together and put the concrete in around them to hold them. So there is 80 pounds of concrete around each figure.”
According to Janice Kinder, her husband has already been making future plans for the figures.
“He says that he is going to put Christmas lights on them this year,” Janice Kinder said.
Joe Kinder agreed with Janice, saying that he does indeed have plans to decorate the figures for the holidays.
The fun definitely isn't over for Joe Kinder, though as he plans to add on to the display.
“I would like to add more if Janice doesn't mind,” Joe Kinder said. “What I want to do is put a fake moonshine still at the top and it would be like the figures are moonshiners.”
People have already drove by to take a look at the figures, according to the couple and they have even had a group of people stop to take picture of the display.
“The tax valuation people stopped and they were laughing and taking pictures, so I hope it doesn't raise the property taxes on my house,” Joe Kinder said jokingly.
While the figures are currently hidden behind trees for the most part, Joe Kinder says drivers are still able to get a few glimpses of the figures while driving down the roadway.
“There's people that have hit their brakes and then went real slow down the road because you can see them again on the road at one point,” Joe Kinder said. “Now, in the fall when the leaves are all off, they'll be standing right there in plain sight. You'll definitely be able to see them then.”
Joe and Janice Kinder both said that they are okay with sightseers.
Now retired, Joe Kinder finds himself spending a lot of time in his workshop or working on the couple's house.
Janice Kinder believes that the figures are a result of one of Joe Kinder's many talents.
“He is very talented,” Janice Kinder said. “I guess you would have to have some imagination to build what he did.”
The Ledger Independent is online at: http://www.maysville-online.com