Village moves Lovers

Village of Salado Mayor Danney McCort ordered staff on Oct. 1 to move the statue The Lovers from its location within the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Main Street right-of-way.

Moving the statue is part of an agreement with TxDOT for continued ownership of Main Street (and the bridge of Salado Creek) as a state highway.  That agreement states on page 2: “The sculpture (known as “The Lovers”)…. must be removed by Salado within an agrred-upon time frame provided under a separate letter from Salado.”

Mayor McCort told Salado Village Voice that no separate letter had yet been prepared. Nonetheless, the statue was moved Oct. 1.

Public Arts League of Salado (PALS) President Melissa Paxton learned that the statue had been moved to the Village Municipal building after the fact Oct. 1.

Artist Aaron Gist said that he would move The Lovers from the municipal building to The Range at the Barton House at about 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 12. He invites family and “lovers of The Lovers” to join him as he moves the artwork to its future home.

Paxton said that PALS still plans on featuring Aaron Gist and The Lovers statue during the weekend opening of the new sculptures at the Salado Sculpture Garden Oct. 26-28 before it is placed at its new permanent home at The Range Restaurant at the Barton House on Main St.