{"id":18404,"date":"2016-08-04T06:02:08","date_gmt":"2016-08-04T10:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=18404"},"modified":"2018-10-01T13:16:46","modified_gmt":"2018-10-01T17:16:46","slug":"rudi-stade-rockin-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/rudi-stade-rockin-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Rudi Stade is rockin’ life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every week, I will be profiling an extraordinary human being who lives in our community. If you know someone who is doing something interesting with their life, I want to hear about it. Send me an email at <\/strong><\/em>laura.maclean@doppleronline.ca<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It happened one day when he was walking in the forest.<\/p>\n

Rudi Stade couldn\u2019t believe what he was seeing. There, on the ground, were some of the most glorious flat rocks he had ever seen. He thought about what he might be able to do with them. The possibilities seemed endless. He was granted permission to remove some of the rocks from the property. Once he got them back to his Huntsville home, he invested in a rotary hammer, a special tool that can drill through rock. And then Rudi tapped into his creative side. Honouring the beauty of Muskoka\u2019s oldest hunks of granite \u2013 some even two billion years old \u2013 Rudi has been making the ultimate antique furniture since he rooted himself here from Toronto 13 years ago.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m definitely a right-brained person and highly creative in different areas. I love everything from art to reading about astrophysics and particle physics and everything in between,\u201d he says, adding that when he perused the internet he was rather surprised to learn no one is doing anything remotely close to what he does.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve seen Rudi around town. He\u2019s the tall, fit-looking guy with shaggy blond hair who rides his bicycle everywhere. Chances are you\u2019ve seen his handiwork, too. In its truly unique form it\u2019s hard to miss.<\/p>\n

Rudi made and donated the rock bench that sits in the front courtyard at the Algonquin Theatre. One table he made is shaped like a heart. When Rudi came across it in the forest, it was like finding a special treasure. It weighs a whopping 285 pounds. He also built three triangular stools to go with the heart-shaped table. He donated a beautiful chess table in River Mill Park and was later commissioned by the Town to make two benches as well. This year, Rudi created a memorial bench in honour of the late James Carroll, which sits beautifully outside Hunters Bay Radio\u2019s headquarters. He also built a flagstone patio for Huntsville\u2019s new men\u2019s shelter, which is set to open sometime this fall.<\/p>\n\n\t\t