Westport is filled with alert “06880” readers. Many have emailed me recently, asking, essentially: WTF is up with the Minuteman statue?
After a frenzy of restoration activity in late summer, our beloved town symbol has remained wrapped in plastic. On Halloween, no one turned him into a ghost or pirate. It’s Christmastime — but no Santa hat. Easter is far off, but already we’re worrying the Minuteman won’t wear his traditional rabbit ears.
The Minuteman, under wraps. (Photo/Catherine Rondeau)
Hold your fire (ho ho ho).
The Minuteman is all spruced up. The hang-up is the fence around him.
It was in very bad shape. (No surprise. Like the Minuteman, it’s over 100 years old.)
According to Francis Miller — a Hamden conservator working on the project — final touches include galvanizing, light abrasive cleaning, painting, installation, then grade adjustment. Target date for completion is the end of the month.
Organizers want to unveil the entire project at once, rather than piecemeal. So — someday next year — the Minuteman will again look like this:
And this:
And this:
I must say, I have felt like he at least needed some air holes….
Betsy p kahn
Dan, “WTF?” Does this stand for Wakeman Town Farm?
NFW
Ok so it must mean: “Welcome to Facebook”
Peter: It is similar to “What The Hell” but involves an “expletive deleted.”
I know Chou Chou Merrill was a fan of the Minute Man and the progress. It’s too bad she did not get a chance to see it finished. 🙁
I drove by yesterday (mid monsoon) and atop his plastic wraps, this reliable, ever-at-the-ready guy was wearing a soggy Santa hat.
It’s good to see that old traditions never die.
It’s great that the town is taking the time to get this right. While we’re talking about restoring iconic aspects of Westport, has anyone seen what happens when it rains at Winslow Park? Like, say, yesterday? I totally get it that green space is the step child of Westport, but the muddy runoff from what’s left of a once beautiful landscape is sobering to witness. All that that soil (and other, um, stuff) running directly into Deadman’s Brook. RTM Environment Committee, you guys cool with that?