ORLAND — Those passing through Orland will be quick to notice that two giant honey bees have invaded Interstate 5 and are here to stay.
The Clean California Beautification project made its way to the north state on Tuesday with the unveiling of the two new bee sculptures, celebrating Orland’s status as the Queen Bee Capital of North America.
Caltrans and the city of Orland partnered to get the ball rolling on a new centerpiece and ultimately tapped structure artist Jake Midgley to design and build the sculptures. Midgley said the project took him about two and a half years.
“I used to like to take everything apart,” Midgley said of how he got into structure work. “There was always stuff lying around so I would take it and I would want to make my mom happy so I made little sculptures.”
Artist Jake Midgley holds an early concept of a bee sculpture provided to him by the city of Orland, California on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. (Jake Hutchison/Enterprise-Record)
Originally, the bees were meant to be made from recycled material. During the event, Midgley showed a picture Orland provided him that acted as an early draft of sorts. As he worked on the project, he decided he wanted to make the bees more realistic and turned toward metalworking.
“It took me another year to learn how to shape steel,” Midgley said. “There was a time when I almost wanted to give up.”
Midgley pushed through and with some help was able to bring the bees to life. The two sculptures sit on either side of I-5 at Newville Road near the onramp and offramp. One sculpture depicts a bee on a flower while the other is a bee on a honeycomb structure.
The beautification project is part of a $1.1 billion dollar initiative to add more character to existing infrastructure while also removing litter and create jobs.
During the unveiling, Midgley’s work was praised by many including Glenn County Supervisor Grant Carmon and Orland Vice-Mayor Matt Romano.
“These highways, I-5 and Highway 32, are the lifeblood of our community,” Romano said. “Most people will only ever see this part of our community. Don’t we want them to know that we aspire not just to create or build something but to do it well? To make it beautiful and that our people may not just survive, but thrive.”
The event saw a strong turnout from the community with many taking photos of the new sculptures and complimenting Midgley on his work. Gene Russell, who has spent time documenting Orland and Glenn County’s history, said he was glad to see the new additions to the city.
“This is part of our heritage,” Russell said. “It’s another one of those community efforts in unity when we join together to put us on the map. They’re going to be hard to miss.”
A sculpture of a bee sitting atop a flower resides near southbound Interstate 5 in Orland, California as of Tuesday, June 18, 2024. (Jake Hutchison/Enterprise-Record)
Caltrans District 3 Deputy Director Greg Wong thanked all of those who helped make the project happen such as city staff and Midgley.
“These investments also give us an opportunity to not only improve the interchange but to highlight, preserve and showcase the uniqueness of the city of Orland as the queen bee capital of North America,” Wong said.
More photos and information on the bee projects can be found at @follow_the_bee_2022 on Instagram. Other works by Midgley are also posted on Instagram at @jake_of_all_trades530.
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