The History of Sparky
Reprinted from the 2017 ACEC Newsletter
Although we cannot be sure about every detail surrounding the history of the recently restored black dog that stands watch at Allamakee-Clayton Electric headquarters, we can be confident about a few things, including its new name.
Stories about what the statue represents have circulated over the years. Legend has it that a real-life dog rescued a toddler from an oncoming locomotive just minutes before the engine approached. Other stories are not quite as exciting. But the story that is most likely closest to the truth is that the statue was given to a gentleman named James Harris, by the Rock Island Railroad, as he was known to have provided the trains with water in those early years of the railroad in Postville.
This statue was cast by J.W. Fiske of New York City sometime around the early 1900s. It graced the yard of Elmer & Thelma Lubka in Postville for many years when the Lubka family offered the statue to the Cooperative next door. Unfortunately, the statue was in poor shape at the time and needed repairs. Reggie Lubka, Reggie's Autobody owner in Postville and a nephew of Elmer and Thelma Lubka, gladly took on the challenge. The restored dog was delivered to its new location, complete with a new tail and glossy black paint. There he continued to be the subject of photos, provided rides to children, and was often barked at by visiting dogs.
Fast forward 28 years and the Cooperative is preparing for its 79th annual meeting. Because the meeting would be held at headquarters, the general manager determined that the statue was again in need of restoration, and the Co-op knew just who to call. "I like a challenge, and I like doing things that are different," said Lubka, who agreed to take on the project once again. "And, there is some history there."
After the statue was moved from ACEC headquarters and hauled to Reggie's Auto Body, it was first sandblasted to remove all the paint. Next, Lubka applied 3M metal bond to repair the cracked seams. After the second coat of metal bond, Lubka texturized the material with a customized plastic comb to create the fur-like details.
Finally, it was time for paint. "The painting was all freehanded and air-brushed. I don't do that stuff every day, so it was kind of a tough process," said Lubka. The painting process took more than 18 hours to complete. The most challenging part of the free-hand painting was the eyes. After several attempts, Lubka said he "just couldn't get the eyes right, so I called my daughter, Jennifer, to help me out." She worked several hours to brighten the eyes and also gave the dog's collar some bling.
After the extensive 60-hour restoration process, for which Lubka said Auto Plus Auto Parts in Waterloo donated the majority of the sprayable material, the statue was welcomed back at headquarters. Early this month, a contest was held amongst ACEC employees to name the dog. Numerous creative submissions were considered, but in the end, the dog was named "Sparky."
Although we cannot be sure of every detail in this dog's history, we are confident that Sparky will continue to be the subject of rides for small children and visits from excited barking dogs.
