Lady Liberty waves in cold, snow

WASILLA -- Many people have honked, waved and driven past Lady Liberty at Wasilla's Liberty Tax Service, which opened near Fred Meyer in January. Lady Liberty has been out on the Parks Highway for the last month and a half, waving at passengers and enticing them to come into the new business to get their taxes finished before the April 15 deadline. But next time you wave back at our nation's welcoming icon, take a closer look. Yup, that's right, Lady Liberty is actually a guy.

Seventeen-year-old Jake McGuire is enjoying his first paying job, and his boss, Wasilla Liberty owner Rhonda Cork, said she chose the best person for the job -- it didn't matter if Lady Liberty wasn't actually a lady underneath the costume.

"He's a great waver, he's not afraid to stand out there," Cork said. "He gets a lot of honks and a lot of attention, everybody knows where Lady Liberty is at."

McGuire is actually Cork's neighbor; she and her husband Chris, Liberty's marketing director, first asked McGuire if he would consider being Lady Liberty when they were looking at purchasing the franchise's Mat-Su office last summer. McGuire, who is a homeschool student, had to find out what the job paid before accepting the position.

"It's the first thing I asked," McGuire said. "It's enough."

McGuire has the opportunity to work 100 hours a month. While inside on his breaks he helps answer phones, gives out free T-shirts and sodas and takes out the garbage, but the majority of his job is in the light green, velvet uniform.

"It's not bad," said McGuire, who moved to Wasilla from San Diego, Calif., two years ago. "But it's a little worse than I thought."

McGuire has spent up to three hours at a time waving without taking a break; this is a job that requires some cold weather gear along with the Liberty costume.

"He's got it harder than the other Lady Liberties," Cork said. Lady Liberty is part of Liberty's nationwide marketing plan.

So far most people have been pretty receptive to McGuire's friendly waves, he said.

"I don't get alone out here," McGuire said. "But it did take a while to get used to holding up the sign."

Some mornings, McGuire accompanies Chris Cork on the business-to-business visits. Cork and McGuire, in full costume, travel to different Valley businesses delivering Liberty doughnuts to drum up business. The Corks said the business promises friendly, accurate service. They even have a 'fishing list' -- those who have their taxes done at Liberty and want to learn some of the best fishing spots in the Valley are welcome to go fishing with Chris at Willow or Sheep Creek this summer.

McGuire said he has bought clothes and phone minutes for his girlfriend, who lives in Colorado, with his paychecks. This summer he plans to train to be a concrete finisher, so there just might be a spot open for Lady Liberty next year. Advice from McGuire for anyone interested? Dress warm, be friendly and be ready to ignore a few inappropriate hand gestures.

"Make sure you are prepared for the negative actions from some people," McGuire said. "But it's not bad, I like it when the people wave and honk."

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com.