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Sharing the love at Jolly Mill

‘Sit, rest and get a hug’

Jolly Mill is a place of beauty and serenity and Jim Moore is adding a little love to the picturesque park.

Amid the historic facades, green lawns and the slow-moving Capps Creek, you will now find a bronze statue of Jim inviting anyone to sit down, relax, enjoy the park and remember a time when a hug between two people didn’t result in anxiety about viruses, but just a warm feeling of love.

Jim, 96 years old, originally purchased the old dilapidated mill and its surrounding property, forming the Jolly Mill Park Foundation, in 1983.

Since then, a large part of his life has been dedicated to the park, designing features, overseeing reconstruction of the mill, soliciting donations and generally making sure the people of Southwest Missouri have a beautiful place to rest and play on the shores of the creek the way he, his mother and grandmother, did in his youth.

Approaching his twilight, Jim wanted to leave a lasting mark on the park and create an open invitation for everyone to enjoy the grounds and feel like they belong there.

Rather than a traditional memorial, Jim wanted to do something that would combat the loneliness so many people are feeling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social restrictions it has manifested.

He said that in a time when human contact is rare, and even considered dangerous, he feels loneliness is a real threat, and a simple hug – that universal gesture of comfort – may be the answer for many.

With that in mind, he commissioned a life-sized bronze statue in his likeness that now sits in the park gazebo, with its arm outstretched, waiting to provide a warm embrace to anyone who wants or needs a hug.

Jim took inspiration from a statue of Sonny Bono that sits on a bench in Palm Springs, Calif. “He was bronze, but his knees were all shiny. I realized that people were sitting on his lap. I thought that was great,” Jim said.

But instead of a lap to sit on, Jim thought his statue should be an inviting embrace.

“The wording on the plaque says it all. It’s about love and unity.”

Originally, Jim considered having the statue erected in the park as a memorial after he passed away, but the state of the world changed those plans.

“I hadn’t told many people about the statue, but I have some friends I told about it, and they said, ‘By god, that’s great. But we need that now!’

“And I thought: ‘well, that’s a good idea.”

So last summer, Jim made arrangements to have the 600-pound statue placed on a bench in the park.

Next to the statue is a plaque that reads:

Welcome to the Moore-Wooten Plaza All are embraced here in the spirit of unity for who they are irrespective of race, nationality, faith, political affiliation, gender, or orientation. All means all Please sit, rest, get a hug. -Jim Moore

Jim sold his beloved 1998 Bentley RT to pay for the statue, which will live on at Jolly Mill long after Jim is gone. He is happy to share the love.

Jim Moore sits with the “Jolly Jim” statue at Jolly Mill park. The statue is designed to stave off loneliness by giving park visitors a hug.

Before the final bronze statue was completed, Jim received these miniature models from the 3D imaging company so he could see the kinds of details that could be incorporated in the final statue.

Love doesn’t come cheap, and the love Jim is spreading at Jolly Mill came with a hefty price tag.

“I realized that statues were expensive, but I didn’t realize how much,” he said.

When he started mulling over the idea, he was hoping to get the bronze sculpture for about $80,000. It didn’t take long to find out that a traditional statue of a life-sized person was going to cost a lot more.

So Jim started looking at less traditional methods. He found a California-based company that was able to take a 3-D image of him in his desired pose, and send a model sculpture to the artist that reduced the cost significantly.

But at $70,000, Jim’s labor of love was going to need a little help.

What’s love without a little sacrifice?

So, he looked to the things he loved and made a decision to sacrifice something he loved so he could share a little love with his community.

“I sold my beloved 1998 Bentley RT,” Jim said. “It was not an easy thing, but I didn’t drive it very often. It happened on a whim. A week later I might not have sold it. But once I saw those little guys [from the 3-D modeling] I was committed, and I was excited.”

Though the car is gone, the statue will live on in the park long after Jim is gone, and he’s happy to leave that legacy behind.

“I just like to think that people would like to come and get a hug or have their picture taken,” Jim said. “And if they’re taking pictures, I hope they get the little plaque too, because that’s the important part. I’m delighted with the park. I’m delighted to see people use it. There’s a story behind every bench – everything down there, because it was a gift, somebody had to come up with the money for it. So it’s all love.” n