Magic Forest’s Uncle Sam is going home

Anyone driving the stretch of State Route 9 past Magic Forest in Lake George is going to notice something missing after today. Uncle Sam is returning to his home in Danbury, Connecticut. The 38-foot tall statue has stood in the Magic Forest parking lot for decades, becoming a landmark in front of the theme park’s towering pines.

According to the Danbury Area Newstimes, Uncle Sam originally overlooked the Danbury Fair and was purchased by Magic Forest owner Jack Gillette in 1982 along with truckloads of other fair items when the fair closed. Many Danbury residents have hoped that the statue one day would return to their city.

This past October, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton announced he had reached an agreement with Gillette to buy back the statue. Gillette recently sold the Theme Park to local contractor Ruben Ellsworth, who plans to reopen the park as Lake George Expedition Park. The City of Danbury has set up a Go Fund Me page to help with the expenses of returning and restoring Uncle Sam to his original home.