BONNEY LAKE, Wash. — Follow State Route 410 into Bonney Lake, and locals will point out that something is missing: a bronze statue that depicts a child reaching into the air after a flock of birds overhead.
It was unveiled in the early 90’s and now it’s gone – cut clean from the foundation.
Ellida Kirk Lathrop worked for years to make the statue, called the “The Ascent,” a reality by fundraising and through public advocacy.
“I always looked at the statue as one of my babies. Very proud of it,” Lathrop said .
The piece itself is the work of the late Larry Anderson, a professional artist from Bonnie Lake who was known nationwide for public art.
“I cried. I cried a lot, I was devastated. I could not possibly imagine in this country where we really have worked so hard to get so much public art executed … that anyone would do any thing to desecrate those works,” she continued.
The statue was by all means a labor of love. The boy was modeled after the sculptor’s son. The molten bronze poured in a foundry here in western Washington – and for three decades it welcomed all to Bonney Lake.
Cheryl Anderson, Larry Anderson’s, widow told KING 5 by phone she feels a “deep pain and ache,” but at the same time said she’s touched by the outpouring of support for the artworks return.
Bonney Lake police amplified their call for help on Facebook. In a post, they said the statue was taken sometime overnight between August 24-25.
It's a piece those who fought to make a reality want back, though they fear it’s already reduced to it’s raw metal form and sold for scrap.