Happy Rock statue restored to former glory

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/11/2022 (1228 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After a much-needed makeover, the municipality of Westlake-Gladstone’s Happy Rock statue has been returned to its former glory, beaming and waving from its platform and welcoming all to the community.

The most famous landmark in Gladstone, located 106 kilometres northeast of Brandon, was in dire need of fibreglass repairs and a new coat of paint. The base of the structure the statue stands upon, which used to be a tourist booth complete with washrooms, also needed some TLC to fix water damage, despite it being closed to the public.

A tender was put out earlier this summer, and soon Elwood-McRorie Ltd., a general contracting company out of Portage la Prairie, got to work refurbishing the mounting plate and doing other repairs.

ISAP Contracting, Sandblasting & Crane Service, a company from Dauphin, did the sandblasting and fibreglass repairs.

Both companies finished their work a few weeks ago, and Sheri Gregoire, assistant chief administrative officer at the municipality of Westlake-Gladstone, said the Happy Rock statue is looking better than ever.

“He looks amazing … it was needed. He shines pretty bright now. He’s not off-white or yellow [anymore].”

In a previous interview with the Sun, Westlake-Gladstone CAO Coralie Smith said the statue brings a lot of joy to people who live in the community and who are just passing by.

“There’s always people who stop there to take pictures of it. Everybody refers to Gladstone as ‘Happy Rock,’ … so we’ve definitely gotten quite a bit of exposure out of it.”

Built in 1986, the statue has been featured on a Canada Post stamp and the label of James Soda Co., a company located in Seattle, Wash.

While the Happy Rock statue itself has had a makeover, there’s still room for beautification of his home, said Kate Halashewski, secretary of the Westlake-Gladstone Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is working with the municipality to do some landscaping of the grounds near the statue and to install some lighting. There are some old flagpoles that also need to be replaced.

Halashewski is hoping that the cost of the beautifications and updates will be covered by a $20,000 provincial grant the chamber applied for through the province’s Arts, Culture and Sport in Community Fund.

According to the province’s website, the fund provides grants to support the arts, culture and amateur sport sectors to enhance Manitobans’ opportunities to access quality programming and facilities in their own communities.

“That would include a lot of the groundwork that needs to be done, new flagpoles that are more accessible, new flags, accessible picnic tables and just to make the area a little more user-friendly and inviting for people who are passing through,” Halashewski said.

» mleybourne@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @miraleybourne