Move over Yogi — there’s a new big bear in town.
A massive wooden bruin just planted itself in the San Joaquin Valley, and unlike its real-life cousins, this one isn’t after picnic baskets — it just needs a name.
Merced County is crowdsourcing ideas for the larger-than-life sculpture, carved straight out of a dying 100-year-old tree that once stood in the park. Instead of hauling it away, officials say the County “saw an opportunity to repurpose the stump into a meaningful and lasting addition to the park.”
District 2 Supervisor Josh Pedrozo says the hulking statue captures “the character and spirit of our community.”
And let’s be honest — Merced has a thing for bears.
The Applegate Zoo houses two real black bears and is gearing up to debut a new exhibit next month. Even Merced High School flies the bear as its mascot. Safe to say, the town’s not lacking in bear pride.
The new addition to Courthouse Park comes courtesy of local carver Tommy McCarty, a Dos Palos native who’s been shaping wood for over a decade and went full-time in 2020 with his business, McCarty Wood Sculpting.
“The park had contacted me to do this tree because it was dying and its over 100 years old. They didn’t want to just remove it. They wanted to put something for the community something that will be beautiful and last for hopefully another 100 years,” McCarty said in a TikTok video.
@thehonorengraved From a fallen redwood to a full on bear 🐻🌲 Right in Courthouse Park, this tree got a second life. This is the newest Bear sculpture art piece in Merced right now. You can still see the texture of the wood, but now it tells a whole new story. Proof that even something once considered “dead” can turn into something powerful. Sculpture by Tommy McCarty Jr. 📍 Courthouse Park, Merced
McCarty knocked out the piece in just three days — and says the reaction has been overwhelming.
“I have no idea how many bears I’ve carved, carved so many that I just know where the cuts are at and I just do it. It seems extraordinary to the spectators but to me, it’s just my job and I just do it,” he said.
Now it’s up to locals to give the beast a name — whether it’s clever, historic or just plain fun.
Submissions are open through May 31, and the winner gets a shoutout from the Merced County Board of Supervisors.
