The LOTI Pencil is an enormous public sculpture on the shore of the Lake of the Isles, Minnesota. It's on the lawn of a historic mansion and made from an oak tree that fell in 2017. In 2022, artist Curtis Ingolstad shaped and painted it into a realistic image of a pencil.
The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that the pencil received its annual sharpening--a task evidently conducted with a chainsaw. This cleaning task has become a major local public event, drawing large crowds to watch. Since the most recent sharpening fell on June 7, the birthday of the late musician Prince, the celebration included Prince music. Prince was a native son of Minneapolis, so his work is dear to the hearts of celebrants.
-via Dave Barry | Photo: Ben Krsnak