Norb Anderson recovers "Blackie," the missing steer sculpture

Image by Charles & Clint on Flickr

This is a REAL steer. Norb Anderson lost his fake one.

The State Fair parade staple was stolen a week before Minnesota's big event. Blackie was draped in a "For Sale" sign and parked in a trailer about a block from Anderson's Como Park home. Anderson was planning to sell the beefy statue for $12,000. Until someone drove away with him.

Anderson was not only out the potential sale price for his prized steer, he was also out the money he makes renting it out. But this isn't the first time this has happened. Anderson started making fiberglass animals 38 years ago, and his 9-foot pig and a giant nipper dog have also been stolen. Anderson figured with time, they'd eventually turn up.

Last week, Anderson turned to the media for help, and local reporters wrote stories about Blackie chock full of beef puns. The statue was found north of Cambridge, and Isanti County Sheriff's deputies were preparing to bring it back, Anderson said yesterday.