RICHMOND, Va. -- The iconic 12-foot-tall skeleton at the corner of Kensington and Roseneath in Richmond’s Museum District is all decked out for this weekend's Carytown Watermelon Festival.
SkeleRVA comes from the skull of resident Justin Bowers.
“I do have a communications and arts degree from VCU, so I guess that counts (as a professional),” Bowers said.
Costume changes for the skeleton hanging on the house take anywhere from 10 minutes to 100 hours, according to Bowers.
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There is a reason he is so passionate about his project.
“To promote what we do in RVA so well, which is community and having a place where people can get their voice out.”
Sunday is the Carytown Watermelon Festival, so Bowers has an outfit for SkeleRVA to wear. It consists of a 6-XL T-shirt with watermelon designs and a huge Styrofoam watermelon around his neck.
“I started (the watermelon) last year and bit off more than I could chew," Bowers said. "So that gigantic watermelon behind me has been in my backyard for a year now.”
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Neighbor Dennis Davers said he loves Skele.
“He celebrates holidays. Very imaginatively redone. Halloween, Easter, Pride Month, Christmas," he said. He doesn’t miss any of them.”
Bowers said he gets "great feedback" from folks in the neighborhood.
“They really enjoy bringing children first and foremost,” Bowers said.
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