During the last two years of the City of Irving’s Delaware Creek Channel Improvements project, the Hippo sculptures were removed and stored. Now they have been lovingly conserved and restored to their original place in the pond at Jaycee Park. The park is located at 1975 Puritan Dr. in Irving.
The hippo sculptures (“Hippo Fantasia”) were originally created in 2002 by local sculptor David Iles for the Irving Art Association. In November 2003 they were dedicated and donated to the City of Irving.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, June 21st at 10 am in front of the stone and the hippos. You are cordially invited to attend. The city contractors will be finishing the last restoration efforts at Jaycee Park in preparation for this ceremony.
Our thanks to all involved in this project for the restoration of the sculptures supervised by the City of Irving Capital Improvement Program. And special thanks to community art advocate Gregory Paul McCarthy, whose photos of the restoration appear below,