The return of Hebe

Roseburg residents have endured continual controversy, national attention and a week of utter anticipation. So, was she worth it?

The crowd that filled Eagles Park in downtown Roseburg Sunday to watch Hebe’s dedication seemed to think so.

After a few ceremonial speeches, finely sung ballads and sprinkles of rain, the Greek goddess of youth was freed from the dark shroud wound round her form and presented for all to see.

The bronze statue, a collaboration of city officials, the Umpqua Valley Arts Association and about 400 donors, drew gasps and applause.

“I’m happy to say, it’s absolutely wonderful,” said Roseburg City Councilor Stacey Crowe, who has helped with efforts to place the statue in a location close to where its predecessor stood in the early 1900s.

The statue, including the fountain on which it rests, is nearly identical to the one dedicated by the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the 1895 Mental Culture Club at the intersection of Cass Avenue and Main Street 99 years ago to the day on Sunday.

The statue, made in Denmark, had been clandestinely placed in the park last Monday.

“We can all be proud to have Hebe back,” Roseburg Mayor Larry Rich said. A team of runaway horses had sent the original statue sprawling to the ground in 1912.

The event went smoothly, with even the sky, threatening a downpour at any second, offering its blessing with only small spurts of rain.

There were no protesters or other detractors wishing to debate the statue’s revival, which has been a source of controversy since organizers started working toward her return several years ago. Those against placing the statue have argued that Hebe and her pagan roots represent immorality and anti-Christian values.

Many at the park agreed the new artwork should be viewed just as that: art. The statue, they said, represents history and a revitalization of downtown.

“It’s just a symbol of culture,” Earl Jones of Roseburg said. “… This is real progress.”

“It promotes culture and tolerance and temperance,” Greg Crowe, Stacey Crowe’s stepson, said.

As admirers peered up at the delicate face of the cupbearer to the gods, others took the first sips from the drinking fountains that surround the statue’s base. Foot-level fountains should be in working order soon for thirsty dogs on their daily walks.

The women who placed the statue in Roseburg originally did so in part as an attempt to deter residents from drinking alcohol at the 29 saloons in Douglas County at the time, said Kyle Bailey, KQEN’s program director and the event’s master of ceremonies.

“The hope of the women was that the water would quench the thirst of the public, thus diminishing the effect of alcohol served in the saloons,” he said, drawing a few chuckles.

No one seemed disappointed that the ambrosia and nectar Hebe is known to carry in Greek mythology did not flow from the spigots.

“Tasted like Roseburg water,” Greg Crowe said.

Any horses that happen to pass by, however, won’t have the same amenities as those in the past. The design of the original horse-level watering fountains was converted to make the statue fit Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

And should a horse decide to take a gallop through the park?

“We’ll get him a cup,” Stacey Crowe quipped. “We are so accommodating. We are here for hospitality, we’re here for everybody.”

Hebe, also known as the goddess of hospitality, would be pleased.



• You can reach reporter Chelsea Duncan at 957-4246 or by e-mail at cduncan@newsreview.info.