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Welcome home, Dixie the Dinosaur! Dixon votes to spend $25K for famous statue

You may remember Dixie the Dinosaur. It was a 50-foot-tall fiberglass statue built along I-80 in Dixon. A helicopter mysteriously removed the 15 thousand pound landmark back in 1998.

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What once was lost, is now found. A popular roadside attraction could be coming back to Dixon.

You may remember Dixie the Dinosaur. It was a 50-foot-tall fiberglass statue built along I-80 in Dixon. A helicopter mysteriously removed the 15,000 pound landmark back in 1998.

ABC10’s John Bartell reported on the missing dinosaur last week, and that report caught the attention of Dixon Mayor Thom Bogue.

“It went viral on Facebook," Bogue said. "Hundreds of postings bring Dixie home."

Bogue proposed that the city purchase Dixie and resurrect her in vacant lot across from the Post Office. The request was put to a vote and passed 3 to 2 in favor of spending $25,000 to buy the fiberglass dinosaur.

“Dixie attracted lots of people.” Bogue explained. “Lets face it, this makes for a long term investment in advertisement for our city.” It’s an expensive investment. The $25,000 does not include installation of the Dinosaur.

Dixie is currently in five pieces. The dino is at owner John Roscoe’s house in Fairfield. He offered up Dixie to anyone who wanted to rebuild her. Roscoe received a number of offers after ABC10’s report.

“I gave the city of Dixon the first right of refusal," said Roscoe. “I wanted to give Dixon the first option to bring Dixie home.”

The city inquired about the dinosaur last week and it went up for a vote the following Tuesday. Bogue says decision making was quick.

“I never seen something move so fast as this," said Bogue. "Especially in government.”

It will take a few truck loads and a crane to move Dixie back to Dixon. There is no timeline right now, but Bogue says many community members and business owners have volunteered their services.

“We have been getting overwhelming support.” explained Bogue. “These businesses and community members will be taking on a lot of the cost involved to get Dixie home.”

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