Statue shows up late

#MiddleburyCT #Statue #Rohambeau

This sculpture of a French foot soldier now stands in Rochambeau Plaza in Middlebury, Conn. Created by Tony Falcone, it arrived July 8, nearly two weeks after it was scheduled to be dedicated. (Marjorie Needham photo)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Imagine you’ve spent months, even years, planning a special celebration to honor a very special person. You’ve planned speeches, hired a band, ordered food to feed the guests, planned every detail for an event folks will remember and talk about for years. Then, the day before the celebration, the honored guest announces they won’t attend.

That’s basically what happened to the Middlebury Historical Society (MHS) and their planned June 27, 2026, celebration of Rochambeau’s overnight encampment in Middlebury during the American Revolutionary War. The whole celebration centered around the dedication of a 7-foot-tall sculpture of a French foot soldier. Around 10 a.m. Friday, June 26, 2026, this reporter ran into MHS President Robert Rafford at Alltown Fresh. Knowing the statue’s delivery had been repeatedly delayed, we asked Rafford when the statue would arrive. “It’s not coming today,” he said. “It’s not coming tomorrow. I don’t know when it is coming.”

What was the MHS to do? Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont was coming, Senator Richard Blumenthal was coming, French dignitaries were coming, but the statue that was to be dedicated was not. Hundreds of people were expected to attend the June 27 event. One quick pivot was to go from dedicating the missing statue to dedicating the Rochambeau Plaza instead. And so the day went on as planned, despite there being no statue atop the base that had been so carefully placed in anticipation of its arrival.

Proceeding with the ceremony despite the statue’s absence was met with dismay by some. However, rescheduling to another day was not an option for several reasons: June 27, 2026, was 245 years to the day since June 27, 1781, the day when Rochambeau and his troops encamped on Breakneck Hill in Middlebury, and the Mattattuck Fife and Drum Band was paid for, as were the refreshments to feed hundreds after the ceremony. And so the event went on. Rafford reported he heard a lot of positive feedback after the event, so it appears the decision to move forward despite the statue’s absence was wise.

The statue arrived July 8 and was carefully lifted by crane and gently placed atop the pedestal, where it was secured in place. There was no ceremony to celebrate its arrival.

It appears the one-year lead time given to the sculptor was inadequate. We learned from forge owner George Mummert that a bust of Thaddeus Stevens had taken 14 months to complete. “One year is a fairly short time,” he said.