Repairs and Restoration of the Madonna of the Trail- Lamar, Colorado: August 2013

Saturday, August 24, 2013

AUGUST 13, 2013 - First Day of Work on the Madonna

Started work early today!!! I met Tom Havranek, Adam LeMaster and Brett Gentry of Si Memorials of Parsons, Kansas.

AUGUST 12, 2013 - First Day of Project - traveling to Lamar, Colorado

August 12, 2013 - Traveling to Lamar, Colorado

Traveled to Lamar today and stopped off to see the Statue.

The Lamar Ledger reports on the Madonna Makeover

Madonna gets a makeover

By Lance Maggart The Lamar Ledger

Posted: 08/24/2013 09:51:59 AM MDT

If you have looked at Lamar's Madonna of the Trail statue lately she might seem slightly different. Lamar's Madonna recently underwent a detailed restoration and renovation project funded through a grant from the National Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) organization. The $14,000 grant was awarded in April of this year DAR Historic Preservation Special Projects Chair Chris Ruth was in Lamar last week from her home in Greeley to oversee the work. Chris has spent over two and a half years on the current restoration project. Along with writing the grant proposal and submitting it to the National DAR organization Chris found the monument company in Kansas to complete the work. Si Memorials out of Parsons, Kan. performed the work. Adam LeMaster and Brett Gentry of Si Memorials cleaned the entire statue and it's base first. Afterwards the two set about repairing the existing damages on the statue. They filled hairline fractures and cracks throughout using a specialized epoxy along with a ground granite mixture that was meticulously pushed into the epoxy. The pair also repaired a bullet hole on the southeast corner of the statue's base. After repairing the statue and the base they started applying a three-part epoxy sealant on Thursday. Because of wind and the proximity to Main St. it was determined the sealant could not be sprayed onto the statue. Instead the entire sealant product was applied by hand with a three inch brush. The epoxy sealant that was applied has darkened the iconic statue ever so slightly. It is also resistant to vandalism. Chris Ruth said, "The Lamar Madonna has weathered the years well. Her condition is better than some of the others throughout the nation." The City of Lamar owns the Madonna statue but the DAR act as its stewards. A rededication ceremony for the statue will be held on Sept. 23 at 11 a.m.