Any time you pass through Akeley on State Hwy. 34, there’s a good chance you’ll spot someone, or several someones, visiting Paul’s Patio and its namesake, Paul Bunyan.

The full-color statue of the legendary lumberjack was designed by Dean Krotzer, who built it in the mid-1980s with help from his sons and son-in-law. Members of the Krotzer family, including Dean’s grandsons Adam, Billy and Willie, continue to keep Paul looking spruce to this day.

The cousins were kids when their family built the statue in 1984-85. Willie said they built the head in Billy’s dad Jim’s garage and transported it uptown on a flatbed trailer.

“The rest of it was built right there,” said Willie. “It was kind of amazing to see what my dad, grandpa and my uncles built. It was kind of a surprise. I didn’t expect i

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