The Chamber of Commerce in Mercer, Wisconsin, has launched a fund-raising campaign to repair holes in "Claire d'Loon," the 16-foot-tall loon statue that stands next to the chamber office.

The loon, according to an article in the Ironwood Daily Globe, has two holes that must be patched, at an estimated cost of $4,000. Under questioning, a confidential source revealed to us that the holes were "bullet holes," but our recent visit to Mercer revealed no obvious wounds in the loon at all, although that may have been because we had been on the road for 18 hours and the sun was setting.

Claire d'Loon is regarded as an important totem in Mercer, lending credence to its claim to be "Loon Capital of the World." It is the world's third most gigantic loon (trailing loons in Vergas and Virginia, Minnesota), and used to be known as "The World's Largest Talking Loon," but its voice box is broken. We feel that the people of Mercer should use whatever funds are raised to restore Claire's voice -- and thus give the town a #1 claim to fame -- rather than settling for third place by patching a couple of holes that can't even be seen unless you've had enough sleep and have eaten something since breakfast. [09/10/2005]

February 10, 2012