​Over the course of four days and through a painstaking process, Herkimer was sanded, patched with fiberglass and coated with resin. Artist, Mark Cline, orchestrated the entire process and members of the May family participated as well. May Museum founder, John May, designed and built Herkimer in 1949. Now seventy-three years later, May’s grandchildren, RJ Steer, Lynn Steer and grandson-in-law, Mike Woolf were hands on participants in the repair project.
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by: Diana Fruh and Dylan Fruh
On April 18, 2022 Herkimer, the world’s largest beetle and guardian of the May Museum began the first leg on his journey of restoration.  The May family worked diligently to dismantle and move him to the indoor pavilion located on the Golden Eagle Ranch property. It had been decades since any major work had been done on the giant Hercules Beetle. He was in dire need of repair lest he be lost forever. At substantial cost, the May family hired professional artist, sculptor and owner of Enchanted Castles Studio, Mark Cline,  to complete the repairs. 


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