Hammertime in Healdsburg: A Lost-Then-Found Public Art Sculpture Restored

HEALDSBURG (KPIX) -- Forget flags and fireworks -- the focus of the Fourth in Healdsburg this year was a hammer.

A massive public art sculpture disappeared eight months ago, stolen from its display spot in front of the Healdsburg community center. The giant hammer's 21-foot-long redwood handle and its 200-pound ball-peen hammerhead vanished.

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Then, last April ... "We got a call from an attorney who said 'hey, my client found it in their backyard,'" Healdsburg mayor David Hagele told KPIX 5.

"It does remain an active investigation," Healdsburg police chief Kevin Burke said. "But it's possible we may never know where the hammer's been."

The only part that was returned was the hammerhead. Artist Doug Unkrey, who created the sculpture, had to make a new handle.