In attempt to bring wackiness back to campus, Lady Liberty will make her 2020 debut on Lake Mendota during the Winter Carnival.
The Pail and Shovel Party of UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Student Association created Lake Mendota’s infamous Lady Liberty in 1979.
After the party was voted into office, leaders Jim Mallon and Leon Varjian spent $4,000 constructing the statue’s head, crown, arm and torch, creating the illusion that Lady Liberty was rising from the water.
The statue was an instant hit on campus, however it was destroyed by arson only ten days after it’s creation.
A fireproof replacement was created in 1980 but it did not appear on the lake for more than a decade due to state regulations that banned structures on the ice. It was kept in a storage facility in a Barneveld barn but was severely damaged by a tornado during that time.
In 1995, an anonymous donor gave the university funds to recreate the statue, allowing the iconic landmark to return to the lake in 1996. The statue took a hiatus in 2009.
Wisconsin Union President and senior Mills Botham took the initiative to return Lady Liberty to her rightful home during the Winter Carnival in 2019, creating an inflatable version that hopes to stand the test of time.
“The idea to return Lady Liberty to Lake Mendota as part of Winter Carnival is one that I’ve been working for about two years,” Botham said. “This was the first year that I found a practical means of making its revival possible.”
The new version is more durable, requires less storage and is easier to set up.
The Winter Carnival runs Feb. 3-9; a full list of activities can be found here. Lady Liberty’s appearance is subject to change due to the weather.
