It took a while, but Grolloo’s most famous resident is back in his place. The wooden statue of blues legend Harry Muskee stood in Vledder for six weeks. This afternoon ‘Wooden Harry’ was put back in its usual place in front of the Cuby + Blizzards museum in Grolloo.
“It’s great that he’s back home again, to pick up one of his classics,” says the museum’s curator, Sjoerd Looijenga, who is happy that Harry is back in his place. “After six weeks he is looking back on his familiar street and we are especially happy that he is back in one piece.”
Thanks to a carefully planned operation by the men from Vledder, the statue could be taken away unseen during the night of December 23 to 24. A big job in a street where people also live. “It’s not something you want to do every day of the week. It’s often in the middle of the night and exactly how we did it is a secret,” says Hessel Zijlstra of De Oliebol. “And they were on their guard here because the TT statue was also taken here a while ago.”
In Vledder the statue was given a lap of honor through the streets. The New Year’s Eve association chose the image of Muskee because music connects, something they also hope to achieve in Vledder. “Harry symbolizes music and he is in Drenthe, so that’s why,” says Zijlstra.
According to Looijenga, that is a message that Muskee would also appreciate. “Harry liked an outing. And he could also see the humor in such a New Year’s Eve club. I think Harry had a good laugh about it.”
Some museum board members were somewhat concerned about the disappearance, the curator confirms. Especially because the statue disappeared just before the anniversary year. “We have been around for 15 years and we want to reflect on that in detail in June and it would be strange if Harry were not at his own party.”
The playful robbery did reveal an urgent problem: Wooden Harry’s health leaves much to be desired. The wooden base, which was sawn from an enormous tree, is particularly hard hit and is practically broken in half. The gentlemen of De Oliebol have planned to strengthen this and later this year also to improve the place where the statue is located, so that the wood is no longer in direct contact with the ground.
“The goal is always to give it back better than it was taken,” Zijlstra confirms. Looijenga is happy that the statue is being picked up by the New Year’s Eve association. “The image was in danger of diminishing somewhat. The root is split in the middle, but the Oliebol will ensure that a new bottom is added so that it will soon literally stand on a pedestal.”
