DALTON, Mass. — Dicken Crane and a few others put together 19 bales of hay to create a massive sign in support of Joe Biden for president.
“We were seeing a lot of big Trump banners and only a few little small Biden signs that people kept complaining were being stolen, so we got the idea no one’s going to steal 1,200-pound round bales,” said Crane, who owns Holiday Brook Farm.
The sign went up at Holiday Brook Farm on Thursday, and just one day later it was up in flames.
“We expected there might be some vandalism, but we never expected somebody would douse it with gasoline and set it on fire,” said Crane. “It was very worrisome somebody would set those bales on fire, you had to wonder whether he would be willing to set a barn on fire.”
Crane says he’s thankful police were quick to find the person who did this with some help from the community.
"The guy who did this was bragging in a bar that he was going to do it in front of a whole bunch of people and then when he went to the gas station to get the gas, he was bragging there that he was going to do it,” said Crane.
Dalton police say they arrested 49-year-old Lonnie Durfee and charged him with arson.
Crane says luckily no one was hurt, including his livestock, and he has plenty more bales of hay to make a new sign.
“But it’s not going to be a Biden sign, it’s going to be a ‘VOTE’ sign,” said Crane.
He says even Trump supporters have reached out to help him after seeing what happened Friday.
“I’m hoping this will become something that actually brings people together, not pushes us apart,” said Crane.
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