Schwarzenegger statue headed for Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- An Oregon foundry that is casting self-commissioned bronze statues of Arnold Schwarzenegger said one of the statues may be headed for Columbus, Ohio.

Timothy Parks, owner of TW Bronze of Enterprise said he is casting at least two of the 9-foot statues, which depict Schwarzenegger in the prime of his bodybuilding career and are based on a 22-inch sculpture created by Ralph Crawford of Iowa in 1980, The Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday.

"One of them is for Columbus, and I think the plan is to have it there for the next Arnold [Sports Festival]," Parks said.

One of the statues has already been shipped to Schwarzenegger's native Austria for display in a museum set up in the actor and former California governor's childhood home.

Parks said the second statue will be finished in time for the March 1-4 festival at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

However, festival organizers said they were unaware of the statue.

"We have no direct knowledge of this coming here," said Brent LaLonde, a spokesman for organizer Jim Lorimer and the festival. "But if it were coming ... we would use it in the promotion of our event, for sure."