Carving up the assets

But don't plan on bidding on the restaurant's whimsical wooden carvings.

For 11 years, artist Jerry Berg's dioramas — miniature three-dimensional figures arranged within a painted background — have been on display at the Hidden Valley Inn under a lease.

The inn closed its doors Sunday after operating as a Western-themed restaurant for nearly 40 years.

Before being remodeled for office space, the restaurant at 4825 N. Sabino Canyon Road will auction off its Western memorabilia — saddles, antique tools, chandeliers — and restaurant equipment including ovens and freezers, said Paul Seguin, a manager of the Hidden Valley Inn.

With the impending closure, Berg said he's now looking for a new place to display the wooden carvings in Tucson.

"I'd like to keep the entire collection together. They need a new home," said Berg, who lives in Safford.

Though he's hesitant to sell the 500 figures, he would like to work out a similar deal he had with the Hidden Valley Inn, which leased the carvings for about $350 a month.

"Tucson is a great place for the wood carvings, especially with its Western style and roots," he said. "It would be a shame to break up the collection."

What started as a childhood interest for Berg, 58, developed into a full-fledged adult hobby.

"I've been creating miniature worlds all my life," he said. "My life dream is to start my own wood-carving museum, to display my personal collection."

Retired from his job with the U.S. Postal Service, Berg said he spends his days as a "full-time hobbyist" and teaches a woodcarving class at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher.

A figure that used to take weeks to complete, Berg now finishes in about six hours.

Inspiration for the carvings come from life experience, he said.

As a high school student, Berg spent summers working on his family's Colorado dairy farm.

When a bull chased a teenaged Berg through a fence, he later re-created the scene in some carvings.

"At the time it wasn't funny. I can look back now and laugh," he said.

Meanwhile, since the auction was announced, Seguin said, the phone has been ringing nonstop.

"We expect everything to sell well. We are expecting a lot of people," he said.

● The Hidden Valley Inn, 4825 N. Sabino Canyon Road, will open its doors for viewing today at 8 a.m.

The auction starts at 10 a.m. To bid on items, participants need a $300 deposit, which is refundable if nothing is purchased.

Purchases can be made with cash or with a check along with a letter of guarantee from the issuing bank.

Call 299-4941 for more information.