Big Foot Happenings in Boyd County
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
One of the most mesmerizing things about art is watching someone’s vision come to life before your very eyes. To take an image you have in your head and bring it to life is something to be proud of and respected. For local chainsaw artist, Travis Williams, bringing his ideas into existence is something that just comes to him naturally. Williams has been carving for around eight years now. He first discovered the art of chainsaw carving while he and his family were on a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Williams shared, “We stumbled across some guys that were doing some chainsaw carvings, and I just decided that this was something I had to go home and try.”
It didn’t take long for Williams to pick up this unique art. Williams remarked, “I really enjoy carving, but when I’m able to use my imagination and try new things that is when it is the most fun for me. My favorite carving that I have done is probably just a simple eagle bust with trees and feathers around it. It’s carved from cedar that came off my parent’s farm, and it’s probably the one thing I’ve done that I am 100% happy with.”
Before Williams knew it, he became a social media sensation. News spread far and wide of his creations. Since then, Williams has always made it a point to give to the community every chance he gets. “I honestly just love to give back and make people smile,” stated Williams. His carvings have been seen at the Paramount Arts Center Festival of Trees and Trains, Foxfire events, and most recently Armco Park.
Williams undertook one of his biggest carvings to date—a 14-foot-tall Sasquatch (better known as Big Foot) statue that has become a permanent fixture at Armco Park. So, you might be wondering why Williams chose to carve a 14-foot statue of the legendary Sasquatch for Armco Park. “About a year ago there was a photo circulating on Facebook of a bear sighting in Armco Park. It turned out to be a log that was lying on the ground that looked like a bear from a distance. I contacted Justin Pruitt who is over the park, and said I should carve a bear and put it up there somewhere off one of the hiking trails. He loved the idea, but another revelation came about when Zach Daniels (local content creator) was looking at the outline of Boyd County on a map and said it looked like a profile of a Sasquatch. They even took that idea and had some shirts made with the help of another artist friend of his who drew Sasquatch into the county layout. That is why we decided on a sasquatch,” Williams explained.
Williams shared that this was the biggest thing he had ever carved. Surprisingly, despite the statue’s size, Williams was able to complete the project from start to finish in about 40 hours which was spread across a week’s time frame. Williams, exclaimed, “This project was really fun to do.”
Being employed full-time at Marathon Petroleum, Williams considers his chainsaw carvings more of a hobby or side gig. You can reach out to Williams on his Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok accounts at @Trav_Carves if you are interested in having him create a one-of-a-kind work of art for you.
Williams continues to add to Armco Park’s wooded creatures, which now include a baby Sasquatch and a friendly bear that holds a sign reading “Thank you for visiting Armco Park.” Be on the lookout next time you visit Armco Park because you never know what creature sightings you might encounter!