Columbus, Ohio USA
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Oh, Deer!
By Dawn McCombs
January/February 2020 Issue
See Also: Feature Article Mar/Apr 2015
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The lone deer remains, casting a warm glow. You have probably heard the saying, “deer in the headlights” in your lifetime, but have you ever heard of “deer in the tree?” If you live in the Short North you likely have. One has been perched on a branch for nearly 25 years, in an elderly maple tree on the tree lawn on West 4th Avenue.
Tim Rietenbach purchased four light-up deers at Old Time Pottery years ago on clearance and thought it would be funny to bring an entire herd home. They don’t resemble flying seasonal reindeer, but rather normal looking deer, which made them even more humorous to Tim, who is the Chair of Fine Arts and Contemporary Craft at Columbus College of Art and Design. At first he arranged them in the living room, and they lived there for a year until the following Christmas when he decided to place them in the branches of the tree in front of his house, arranging them as if they were walking up the trunk. Tim liked the effect so much that he decided they should live in the tree permanently.
Over the years the weather has taken its toll on the deer and one by one they have fallen apart and had to be removed, but one still remains.
Tim and his family have a balcony in the front of their house that faces the tree with the deer. Besides enjoying the scenery, it also casts a warm glow on their balcony, creating a pleasant ambiance. To maintain the glow, the light bulbs need changed often, so he asks his son Sam to change them. Sam has an uncanny ability to run straight up the tree trunk, since he practices parkour, so it has become his job when he is home visiting his parents.
Over the years they have heard people react to the deer(s) in the tree, while sitting on their balcony. One person visited often, named them, and talked to them on a regular basis, even showing concern as they dwindled. Another time a couple knocked on their door and asked if they could have their wedding pictures taken with the deer in the background.
A 1996 photo of Tim Rietenbach in his living room where four decorative deer sat for a year until he decided to place them outside in a tree. But it hasn’t always been fun and reindeer games. About three years ago someone reported the deer in the tree to the city. A city official promptly came to their house and told them that they would have one month to remove it. Apparently it was considered the wrong location for a lawn ornament. Tim ignored the request. He said, “I decided to call their bluff. Are they really going to climb the tree and take the deer down?” – so he just left it. When asked what about the deer may have offended the person who reported it, Tim ponders, “Is it the kitsch nature of the object? The warm light? The wrong season?” He can’t be entirely sure.
What is certain is that one lone deer still remains in the tree, and it continues to captivate passers-by. During the fall season, the deer gets the company of other spooky décor, since Tim said they really are more Halloween people, but other than that the deer stands alone year around. The city has earmarked the tree to be cut down, due to its age. It’s hard to imagine what will go first, the tree or the deer, but for now they are both still there, expressions of the originality, quirkiness and culture of the Short North that have been so dear to us, for so many years.
Dawn McCombs lives, and is the owner of Glean, in the Short North. She likes swashbuckling around the neighborhood, planting Ohio prairie gardens in urban landscapes, and reducing her carbon footprint by cycling and recycling.
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