CELORON, N.Y. -- When an image of David Poulin's statue of Lucille Ball in Celoron went viral last year, many echoed the comedienne's iconic “eww” sound when describing her look.
That outcry prompted the village to start a crowdfunding campaign and hire a new artist to replace the original piece, which had been in place at her namesake park since 2009. Saturday, on what would have been Lucy's 105th birthday, the funny-woman got her facelift.
"For a lot of Lucy fans, this is probably the best thing that could happen,” said Mayor Scott Schrecengost.
Carolyn Palmer's life-size statue wears a polka-dot dress, and steps forward with her arm on her hip and head held high. Superfans were pleased with what they saw.
"Her little eyelashes are just beautiful, they look real," said Sue Rola from St. Louis, Missouri. "Her lips, her dress has polka-dots, just stunning. Every detail is perfection."
"Lucy was a beautiful, she was a shiner. They really needed to give her credit she was due,” said Penny Miller, who drove in from the Poconos.
Palmer said she watched hours of "I Love Lucy" and printed out multiple photos to recreate her likeness.
"I wanted to portray Lucy very glamorous, very playful, and confident. That's why I have her walking forward in the wind with a little movement,” Palmer said.
Some of the Ball family even attended the unveiling ceremony, they said there was a buzz surrounding the park, and happy to see so many people enjoying a woman who was a pioneer for female comedians across the U.S., and the world.
"Hopefully it'll draw people in here forever now,” said Dennis Ball, Lucy’s second cousin.