Stephen Vance, Staff
Have you seen a wayward bronze bird?
Schubird, the bronze statue of a scarecrow created by Meaford resident Gunter Neumann in honour of Meaford’s long-running Scarecrow Invasion & Family Festival has been stationed on Sykes Street outside Meaford Hall since 2009. The statue has provided fun photo opportunities for visitors and residents alike over the years, but this week its creator noticed that Schubird is missing his bird.
Neumann told The Independent that on Wednesday morning (August 16) he had been walking past the statue and he noticed something missing. Upon further inspection he noticed that the bird which had been perched atop Schubird’s shoulder was gone.
“It would have taken some force, possibly a hammer to remove the bird, it’s a bronze statue,” Neumann said.
Who removed the bird from the statue, and where the bird is now are unknown. Meaford CAO Denyse Morrissey told The Independent that the municipality will be reviewing any available security camera video in hopes of discovering who removed the bird.
“We are going to request that the cameras be reviewed. There may potentially be something shown or activities of concern on the video,” said Morrissey.
Marilyn Morris, Head Scarecrow for the Scarecrow Invasion & Family festival (photo) was shocked and saddened when she heard the news of the missing bird.
“That is terrible. I can’t believe it. Schubird is a treasure of our community, and he symbolizes an event that is near and dear to all of us. He’s a beautiful attraction downtown. I can’t comprehend why anyone would vandalize such an important member of our community,” said Morris.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the bird, or who may have removed it is asked to contact the municipality by phone (519-538-1060), or by email at rwillis@meaford.ca .
