You may hear the roar of a chainsaw 20 feet in the air at the Kiddie Land during the fair. But don't be alarmed. Self-taught woodcarver Tim Amos will be back at the fairgrounds for the fifth year to transform a 25-foot elm into a mountain lion, mountain goat and whatever else comes to mind as he works his way down.

"As big as it is, it's like, 'How am I ever going to get this done?'" said Amos, who has been carving chainsaw art in Rapid City for more than 10 years. "When I stand up there and look down, I ask, 'What did I get myself into?' But the challenge is what keeps you going."

This year's fair creation is Amos' biggest work by far. Up until now, his tallest carving was 6-feet high, he said.

The carving will remain towering at the fairgrounds alongside four other works from previous years near Kiddie Land - a cowboy roping a horse, a wolf family, an eagle landing with wings extended.

Amos was invited to the fair by manager Ron Jeffries to do something creative out of the dying elm trees at the fairgrounds, Amos said. Jeffries saved a few stumps and the dying tree near the Kiddie Land for Amos, he said.

Three scaffolding towers surround the elm and Amos will climb daily throughout the fair to carve. It's a "one-man operation," he said, and he's taking all the necessary safety precautions.

Amos will also bring in samples of his work to display and be available to answer questions during breaks, he said.

Amos put 12-14 hours into the carving before the fair's opening to remove bark and set up the barricades and scaffolding, he said. He also plans to begin carving as soon as possible to give fairgoers something to look at in the shape of the tree.

"It's actually a slow process," Amos said. "There are carvers that do shows that can whip out a bear in 30 minutes. My stuff's pretty detailed."

Amos said he tries to do realistic carvings, and will include high-altitude Black Hills wildlife in the elm tree. Besides wildlife, Amos has done other works with people, he said. The horse roping sculpture at the fairgrounds includes a cowboy and brother and sister onlookers, as well as the large horse running from the extended lasso.

Woodcarving started as a hobby, Amos said. Though he had done artwork since high school, Amos said carving has grown into an unplanned business. A former Rapid City police officer, Amos retired two years ago and now has more time to work on carvings, he said.