(INDEPENDENCE, Mo., AP) — The city of Independence plans to replace the Pioneer Woman statue that was stolen from the National Frontier Trails Museum but it will be in a slightly different form and placed in a more secure spot.
The original life-size statue of a woman holding a baby in one arm and a bucket in another was stolen from the museum in June. Three people were charged after they tried to sell what appeared to be remnants of the statue to a Kansas City recycling company, police said.
An artist has been commissioned to create a similar but slightly different statue, which will cost between $30,000 and $40,000, The Independence Examiner reported.
The city of Independence, which operates the National Frontier Trails Museum, needs to address security and other concerns before the statue is returned to the site, said Tourism Director Cori Day.
The new statue will be placed in a different spot, because the thieves were able to load the old statue into a car from where it stood near the museum, Day said.
It’s likely the new statue won’t be unveiled until next summer, Day said, in part because the museum is undergoing a renovation and expansion project.
An artist has been commissioned to create a similar but slightly different statue, which will cost between $30,000 and $40,000, The Independence Examiner reported.
The city of Independence, which operates the National Frontier Trails Museum, needs to address security and other concerns before the statue is returned to the site, said Tourism Director Cori Day.
The new statue will be placed in a different spot, because the thieves were able to load the old statue into a car from where it stood near the museum, Day said.
It’s likely the new statue won’t be unveiled until next summer, Day said, in part because the museum is undergoing a renovation and expansion project.
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