Finalists Announced for Old Man of the Mountain Memorial
Three New Hampshire Artists Among those Selected

Three years to the day after the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in Franconia Notch the official memorial finalists were selected. As finalists, Jamie Calderwood of Durham, the team of Thomas Scoon of Northwood and Peter DeMinico of Sanbornton, and the team of Shelly Bradbury of Essex, Mass., and Ron Meyers of Rockport, Massachusetts, will be paid $1,500 each from the Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund Committee (OMMLFC) to refine their plan and build a scale model for the final round to be conducted later this year. One design out of the three will be selected to be built and installed on the north shore of Profile Lake. The OMMLFC is working with State Parks and other stakeholders to negotiate artist contracts, installation and the life-long maintenance of the eventual outdoor memorial.

The national search for artist proposals was conducted from February through March of this year with advisory aid from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. The OMMLFC received thirty-one proposals from as far away as New Mexico, Washington State, and Florida. Eight of the thirty-one proposals received were New Hampshire artists, who were given special precedent during the selection process.

The finalists were announced at a ceremony on the evening of May 3, 2006 during the annual Profile Award ceremony at the Capitol Center for the Arts. The annual gathering, co-hosted by the General Federation of Women's Club, the Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund honors those who, like the famous rock face, were powerful and inspirational. This year’s recipients are; The Nielsen family, maintained the natural rock formation since 1960; Project Learning Tree, that has helped teach New Hampshire’s children about woodland surroundings; and the town of Canterbury, which worked to preserve a farm, a town store, and cultural attraction.

David Nielsen commented on the OMMLFC’s efforts, “What we really want to see is an expanded museum to help bring people back (to Franconia Notch).” Plans for the museum have been on hold since State park funding needs are examined.