CAMDEN — A photo this morning of Camden firefighters placing the circa-1930s gold rooster back on its perch, atop one of two gatehouse weathervanes at the entrance to the Camden Amphitheatre, is the happy ending to a story that started out sadly.

The saga of the stolen rooster began Sept. 8, when Camden Public Library Director Nikki Maounis called Camden police and reported the rooster missing. Detective Curt Andrick was in the beginning stages of his investigation into the disappearance of the rooster, which has been atop the gatehouse weathervane since the Amphitheatre, Harbor Park and the library were opened to the public in the early 1930s, when it mysteriously reappeared.

“Somebody must have had a change of heart,” said Andrick last week, on his way to deliver the rooster back to Maounis.

Camden Parks and Recreation crew members Richelle Gagne and John Gould were working on the grounds of the Amphitheatre Sept. 10 and had parked a work truck above Atlantic Avenue. When they went back to the truck, they found someone had placed a trash bag in the bed and inside was the rooster weather vane ornament.

A companion weathervane, with a windjammer ornament, graces the other gatehouse and was not taken in the incident.

After the rooster was returned to its owner, library staff member Dave Jackson placed a call this week to Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley and requested assistance placing the ornament back atop the weather vane.

Camden Fire Department’s ladder truck, Farley and three firefighters, including Cheyne Hansen, Ryan Fisher and Matt Heath, did just that. With little fanfare, other than a big, red truck with a long ladder blocking Atlantic Avenue for a few minutes Wednesday morning, the rooster was placed back where it has sat for more than 80 years, overlooking the Amphitheatre, Harbor Park, the Camden Public Library and the head of Camden Harbor.

Related story:

• Camden Amphitheatre's pilfered weathervane rooster covertly turned in, returned to library

Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.