Residents in the New York town of Celoron are very proud that Lucille Ball hails from there — just not of the statue erected in her honor six years ago.
“Lucille Ball was not only an amazing comedienne, but she was a stunning beauty. Her sense of humor only made her more beautiful,” the anonymous organizer of the “We Love Lucy! Get Rid of this Statue” Facebook page told Yahoo! News. “This statue looks nothing like the beautiful Lucy we all know. If for no other reason than that… the statue should go.”
Indeed, opinions about the statue seems to be unanimously negative.
“I love Lucy but this statue is horrible! YIKES! It doesn’t look like her at all,” one commented on the Facebook page. “It looks like a man…. a scary looking man!!”
Another added, “Looks like a mad man that got his face burned off with acid.”
“If given 100 chances, I would have not guessed this was a statue of Lucy,” someone else said.
Believe it or not, the Facebook organizer said the awful rendering gets even worse when night falls: “I think it looks like a monster. That is just my opinion. When you see it at night, it is frightening.”
Although the Facebook organizer said he didn’t want to criticize the artist who created the bronze statue, he said he will only be happy if the city hires a new artist to create a new statue.
“This statue should be taken down and a NEW, Beautiful statue of Lucy should be put at the entrance of the upcoming Comedy Hall of Fame in Jamestown,” he said on Facebook. “A large, gorgeous statue worthy of LUCY.”
Celoron mayor Scott Schrecengost indicated to the Jamestown Post-Journal that he’s considering options, including online fundraising campaigns. He estimates it would cost $8,000 to $10,000 to replace the statue.
