Palouse-o-saurus rages before Palouse crowd

Palouse-o-saurus reached its primieval head backward into the sky as its flaming body collapsed to the sound of dozens of cheering men, women and children at Palouse.

Artist Thad Froio spent the past month assembling what his cronies have dubbed the “First Annual Palouse-o-saurus.”

Froio said he and a squadron of helpers built the behemoth, “mostly because we could.”

Standing 15 feet in the air, the paleolithic sculpture was made of wood left over from the remodeling of the Palouse Tavern. Saturday night, the dino dynamo was torched beside ag pilot Dale Scheopflin’s airstrip in front of a crowd of some 150 spectators off the Cove Road east of Palouse.

“I just wanted to make this badass thing and set it on fire,” Froio told the Gazette. “I love dinosaurs. They say so much about evolution and intelligent design. But they also bring the child out in everybody. I knew this was something that could immediately make people smile.”

Mayor Michael Echanove said Palouse-o-saurus provided just the smile the city needed after a month filled with tragedy.

“October was a long, rough month for Palouse. It was fun just to get together and cheer and be silly for a night,” said Echanove.

Froio dreamed up Palouse-o-saurus four months ago with his friend and fellow artist David Wold.

As the idea developed, Rob Scheopflin offered up the wood remnants from the tavern job. Gene Pittman provided the team tools and a workspace. Assembly of each of the dinosaur’s structural pieces began Oct. 5.

Froio spent the better part of October crafting Palouse-o-saurus’ legs, spine, pelvis, tail, ribs and arms, and he and Wold combined to make the brute’s skull.

Palouse-o-saurus began standing next to Scheopflin’s airstrip as a team of volunteers helped assemble it.

The legs and pelvis were assembled on site Nov. 1 by Froio and Pittman with the help of Steve Cottrill. The spine, tail and skull were added Wednesday with the help of Adam Smith and Lucas Echanove.

Thursday, the entire structure was covered with fabric to add more fuel and to flesh out the structure.

Tales of the terrible titan spread throughout the week, as folks from all around began to notice its invasion of air space.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, the dinosaur, which had been soaked in fuel, was torched before the screaming crowds.

“I was a little worried about the environmental impacts, but it was temporary and definitely worth it,” said Froio.

Despite the potential danger of a 15-foot flaming dinosaur, Mayor Echanove assured neither construction nor ignition were in violation of any of the city’s ordinances.

“They did it in the county,” he chuckled.

Video footage of the Palouse-o-saurus burning has been posted on YouTube.

Froio said they plan to build more dinosaurs in the future, with the intent of making Palouse-o-saurus an annual event.

He is even making some silk-screen t-shirts with the dino’s image.