WASHINGTON — Perhaps a crowdsourcing is in order.
Fans of the late, great comedienne Lucille Ball in her hometown of Celoron, N.Y., say they are tired of looking at a bronze, life-size statue of her likeness, that is not really her likeness at all. But the original sculptor has told the town it will take upward of $10,000 to redo it.
The statue, unveiled in 2009, is located in Memorial Park and has received criticism “from many people” saying it bears no resemblance to the beloved “I Love Lucy” star, according to a recent report in the local Post Journal newspaper. Scott Schrecengost, Celoron mayor, told the paper that having the statue redone in order to improve its appearance “would be a lot of money.”
“Over the past couple of years, I’ve reached out to (the statue’s sculptor) Dave Poulin, and have had at least four conversations with him about redoing the statue. He finally came back and said he wanted $8,000 to $10,000 to do it. I’ve also reached out to several other sculptors in the region, and some said they would do it, but we’re still looking at about $5,000. We’d like to work with the original sculptor, and wish he would stand behind his work enough to step up and fix it for free.”
He said he would not use municipal fund to pay for it, and suggested advocates look for other ways to raise the fund. An effort has been sparked via a Facebook page, We Love Lucy! Get Rid of this Statue.
Ball was born in Celoron in 1911 and was raised there as a young girl. After a career in show business spanning decades in movies, television and theater, she died at the age of 77 in Beverly Hills, California.
