Visitors to the Wauzeka Veterans Memorial may have noticed the bronze eagle is missing. There’s a good reason — it’s getting a facelift.

According to a release from the memorial’s committee, the eagle was showing signs of weathering. It was made of bronze fiberglass by David Oswald, a sculptor out of Sparta, and the Eternal Art Monument Company, of Boscobel, served as the project designer. The eagle remains one of the memorial’s centerpieces. 

The eagle will be refurbished by Fast Fiberglass in Sparta, who will “sand the whole eagle and repaint it.” The committee also voted to have the eagle painted to give it a more natural appearance.

The release says the eagle will be back at its perch by this coming Memorial Day.

The memorial was completed in 2019, with a dedication on Sept. 1, according to the Aug. 21, 2019, edition of the Courier Press. It was a long-gestating project that had to be relocated multiple times before it was finally built in its current location north of Wauzeka on Highway N.

The Wauzeka Area Veterans Memorial Committee raised money for the site over several years, and fundraising events like the Sweethearts Steak Dinner still help accrue funds for maintenance and other associated costs, such as purchasing new flags and putting names on tablets.

“It takes a village and beyond to help build a memorial like ours,” says the release. “We are so grateful for everyone who attend our steak dinner and for all other monetary donations… Please watch for the landing of our newly refurbished eagle at the end of May!”