:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/JHFCZMCY2BI3J5FEYTCUK6TL5M.jpg)
ELBURN – The owner of a longtime Elburn business plans to return an iconic object to the top of its roof.
The original 9-foot tall, fiberglass ice cream cone will be placed on the roof of Alice’s Place sometime later this year, said Audrey Hanson, owner of the restaurant at 208 S. Main St., Elburn.
Hanson on Tuesday said she spoke with someone about building a custom platform for the cone so that it can be properly displayed on the roof. She hasn’t received a timeline yet, but expects she can get the cone installed before the end of the year.
“It’s just an icon – everybody likes it,” Hanson said of the cone.
The cone was blown to its side Nov. 17, 2013 during a storm that resulted in a tornado hitting the downstate city of Washington, Illinois. Hanson took the cone offsite for safekeeping and wasn’t able to focus on re-installing it during a busy 2014 season for her restaurant.
A smaller cone donated to the restaurant in November 2014 was likely stolen between June 18 and June 19, Hanson told police. As of Tuesday, she had received no tips on its whereabouts.
Returning the bigger ice cream cone to the roof was the subject of a page created July 8 on www.gofundme.com by Elburn resident Dave Broz.
Broz started the campaign without telling Hanson and set an initial goal of $500. The page after five days received donation pledges totaling $600. Money left over from the installation will be donated to the Elburn Food Pantry, Broz said.
From a village standpoint, the installation of the cone requires only a permit with a standard $50 fee, said Tom Brennan, Elburn’s building commissioner.
The permit process includes an inspection to make sure the cone will be safely and properly installed, Brennan said.
Hanson was surprised by the donations and said she thinks most of the money raised will go to the food pantry because of the in-kind physical assistance she is organizing to return the cone to the roof.
“I really do appreciate all the people donating,” Hanson said.