At the base of Maple Street on the scenic waterfront sits Barrie's majestic landmark, the "Spirit Catcher." Ron Baird was one of nine sculptors asked to submit proposals for EXPO '86 and he was one of the two sculptors chosen. The theme of EXPO '86 was transportation and communication. With this in mind the artist thought of his sculpture as spiritual antennae. The imagery of the "Spirit Catcher" was influenced by the west coast location and the Thunderbird of First Nations' mythology. The Thunderbird is a messenger who carries our dreams and desires to the Creator. The 20 tonne steel sculpture took 6 months to make and was originally installed at False Creek in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Once EXPO '86 ended, the sculpture was purchased by the Helen McCrea Peacock Foundation (Toronto) for $230,000 after months of negotiations. The Foundation donated the sculpture, in memory of Helen McCrea Peacock and Kenneth Westrup, to the "Barrie Gallery Project" as an inspiration to create an art gallery in the City of Barrie. The sculpture came to Barrie on 2 flatbed trucks and was installed with the assistance of several volunteers and 2 cranes. The installation took almost 2 full days on the weekend of June 12th and 13th, 1987 and was dedicated on September 12th.

To Log this Virtual cache, please post a picture of yourself at the monument.