NORTHAMPTON — Greg Stone once said he chose an owl to memorialize Eva Trager and other downtown stalwarts because of the animal’s spirit and tenacity.
His tribute lived up to those foretold qualities on Thursday when the restored sculpture, which was vandalized in June, was unveiled. Originally erected in 2012, the “Queen of Main Street” once again presides over downtown Northampton.
“We’re thrilled to have it back,” said Judith Fine, who serves on the Eva Trager Memorial Committee. “I think it’s really important to our community.”
Paid for by the Eva Trager Memorial Fund that the committee presides over, repairs to the broken statue came with a $1,500 price tag.
Stone, whose artwork can be found all over town, died in September 2016. The statue honors Trager, a beloved downtown businesswoman who was known for her gregarious support of the city. Each year, others who have similarly contributed are added to the statue’s list of honorees.
David Boyajian, fellow sculptor and a friend of Stone’s, worked with restoration artist Steve Roy to restore the bronze statue on Thursday.
It took several hours of meticulous welding. At one point during the work Boyajian became concerned he didn’t have a profile shot of the statue as Stone originally installed it. He wanted to be sure the owl appeared as Stone had intended.
“I just don’t want Greg coming back to me in my dreams tonight,” he said, eyeing the side of the bronze bird.
Cathy Cross, who has a view of the statue from her downtown shop, reassured him.
“It looks beautiful,” she said, sizing it up. “We got our owl back.”
Boyajian said he and Roy put stainless steel pins into the bird’s legs and bevelled around the weld, bolstering it.
“It takes what was weak and it makes it strong,” he said. “It just sends a positive message that the community is strong and that it wants to preserve the arts.”
On Sept. 8 at 4 p.m., Fine said, the committee will induct another year’s worth of late Northampton devotees: artist Greg Stone; Harlow Luggage owner and bookbinder Bill Streeter; Naegele’s Bakery founder Susanne Naegele; and former Northampton mayor Sean Dunphy.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.