JAMESTOWN (AP) - Forty-eight years ago, Elmer Petersen sculpted his first commissioned work, the "World's Largest Buffalo," and now he's back at Frontier Village, supervising renovations and repairs to his creation.

"I have been wanting to see that it got painted, mostly for the sake of the National Buffalo Museum," Petersen said.

The renovated buffalo is being rededicated, and visitors will notice the changes Petersen designed. For one thing, the horns are 14 inches longer, to make them more realistic.

But the most dramatic change will be in the painting. Petersen is directing a crew, led by Floyd Storey, in adding highlights and lowlights to bring out the texture of buffalo hide, particularly in the mane. The head will be the last part finished.

"Floyd wants to make the head very dramatic," Petersen said. "We've had some discussion about it and made some changes."

While Storey is up on the boom, doing the spray painting, he knows who the boss is.

"Ultimately, the sculptor has to be pleased with what we do," he said.

Storey, his brother, Bob Storey, and Petersen drove from Wisconsin to work on the buffalo. Bob Storey is the mechanic on the job, while Floyd does all the painting.

"It's a privilege to be here with Elmer Petersen," Bob Storey said.

Petersen's son, Christian, came from Iowa to act as driver, gopher and unofficial photographer for the renovations. He said the first time he saw his father's sculpture was in 1974. He was only 5 years old at the time. "I remember the buffalo. It was impressive, and to see your name on the plaque," he said.

Christian Petersen said he thinks the new paint job will look much better, but then he wasn't around to see how his father accomplished the first. "I did that myself, alone, with no equipment," Elmer Petersen recalled.

He propped a wooden ladder against the buffalo's tail and walked along its back, hanging over the sides with a hand-held paint sprayer. The work is much easier - and safer - now with modern equipment.

Nina Sneider, director of the Buffalo City Tourism Foundation, said the money for the renovations and repairs was an unexpected gift from Hampton Hotels' "Save a Landmark" project.

"They called and asked if Jamestown would be interested in receiving a grant," Sneider said. "From the beginning, they didn't say how much the grant would be. What they told us was to put our dreams in there, too."

Sneider did a work order including landscaping with native wildflowers and a new cement pad. The grant from the "Save a Landmark" program came to $16,500.

"The Frontier Village board has been taking very good care of it (the buffalo) for many years with very little money, but this bonus will allow for major repairs," she said.