Stowe, Vermont - June 22, 2011
Owen Neckers gave us a tour in a farm field along Route 100 in Stowe. This is where his dad, Matt Neckers, installed his custom steel and wood rocket.
"It's realistic enough that if you're driving over there you're going to think what in the world is that and that was the goal," artist Matt Neckers said.
"I thought it was real," Owen Neckers said.
But he never thought the sculpture would blast off when he wasn't looking.
"Broad daylight on Monday on a busy road-- somebody just came by and grabbed this thing," Matt Neckers said.
"I thought I was sad and I thought we really need to get in our car and drive all the places where we are," his son said.
A nearby farmer says he saw a group of people messing with the rocket but thought it was the artist, whom he'd never met.
"So unfortunately he thought it was me he watched these guys show up in an old pickup truck and they came by and took it and drove away with it, but they were here for quite a while," Matt Neckers said.
It was part of the 20th Exposed exhibition in Stowe, where sculptures are put on display around town.
"All public work in exhibitions are an act of generosity on all accounts so hopefully they feel that and return it" said Rachel Moore, the curator of the Exposed exhibition.
All that's left of the sculpture that took months to make is wiring from a motion sensor and solar panel which lit it up.
"I had it chained with a great big chain and it was padlocked to it and padlocked to the rocket and you can tell that they didn't cut the log here, so they must have cut the chain," Matt Neckers said.
It wasn't the easiest of installs; it took four men to rig the rocket up so it looked like it was crashing through the trees.
"It really good, like you would see a big parachute," Owen Neckers said.
"It's very discouraging, disheartening and surprising in a town like this," Moore said.
Neckers wanted to surprise townspeople by moving the rocket to different locations during its four month installation. He and his son hope they're surprised and this just turns out to be a prank, and the rocket returns.
"I hope we find it," Owen Neckers said. "And find the parachute also."
Neckers' rocket is worth $1,800. Anyone with information is asked to contact Stowe Police at 802-253-7126 or the Helen Day Art Center at 802-253-8358.
Gina Bullard - WCAX News
