6 pm tonight, the new statue (below) will be unveiled on the old base, with Mayor Nickels, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, the West Seattle Big Band, and many others on hand. This won’t be the end of the saga; a new pedestal and plaza for Ms. Liberty are still on the drawing board, and the Alki Bathhouse meeting @ 7 pm Thursday will dig into that. But first, let’s recap the intense past few months that brought us to this day (after years of lead-up):
EXACTLY TWO MONTHS AGO: The first public meeting called by Paul and Libby Carr to explain their new committee and the renewed push for a plaza. A few dozen people gathered by the statue base in the blazingly hot evening sun; one man wondered wistfully if at least a flag could be placed at the statue base in time for 9/11 — hope he will be able to watch the ceremony tonight!
ONE WEEK AFTER THAT: The Carrs and their team (and their new logo) appeared before the Alki Community Council. So did Parks Department point person Pamela Kliment, who announced the Bathhouse meeting that’s finally coming up this Thursday.
THE FOLLOWING WEEK: In a WS Herald letter to the editor, former Alki fixture Cindi Laws declares the statue “deserves to be set free.”
A FEW DAYS LATER: The “Bring Miss Liberty Home NOW!” faction goes public.
NOW ON TO EARLY AUGUST: The Carrs intensified their support for bringing the recast statue to the Bathhouse while the plaza plan (architect-provided art at right) proceeded.
TWO DAYS LATER: They announced the city had agreed to do just that.
FIVE DAYS AFTER THAT: Parks Department leaders announced the statue would arrive on 9/11.
AUGUST 12-SEPTEMBER 4: Things got very quiet. We routinely nagged various city folks for details of the 9/11 “homecoming,” but none were available. Finally a week ago, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen’s team sent word that the statue would be placed on the old base, rather than in the Bathhouse, and that the city would chip in new $ for the plaza project.
LAST FRIDAY: We found out more about tonight’s ceremony — the West Seattle Big Band announced its participation and (in the comments on this post) other participants were revealed.
LATER THAT DAY: The “new” statue got a test run on the “old” base, and a WSB reader sent us the photographic proof.
LAST SUNDAY: The Carrs announced the plaza group has its official nonprofit sponsor.
TONIGHT: Finally, the “where’s the statue?” signs can come down. 6 pm.
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