'Scary Lucy' statue gets new role in mall Halloween display


              FILE - In this Aug. 2012 photo, a bronze sculpture of Lucille Ball is displayed in Lucille Ball Memorial Park in the village of Celoron, N.Y. The statue that drew worldwide scorn earlier this year for its unflattering depiction of the “I Love Lucy” star will be placed at the Chautauqua Mall in neighboring Lakewood, N.Y., as part of the shopping center’s annual haunted house event.  (AP Photo/The Post-Journal)  BUFFALO OUT
FILE - In this Aug. 2012 photo, a bronze sculpture of Lucille Ball is displayed in Lucille Ball Memorial Park in the village of Celoron, N.Y. The statue that drew worldwide scorn earlier this year for its unflattering depiction of the “I Love Lucy” star will be placed at the Chautauqua Mall in neighboring Lakewood, N.Y., as part of the shopping center’s annual haunted house event. (AP Photo/The Post-Journal) BUFFALO OUT

LAKEWOOD, N.Y. (AP) - It's a role "Scary Lucy" was born to play: Frightening people at Halloween.

A bronze statue of Lucille Ball that drew worldwide scorn earlier this year for its unflattering depiction of the "I Love Lucy" star will be placed in a mall near her western New York town as part of the shopping center's annual haunted house event.

The life-size statue was unveiled in 2009 in a park in the village of Celoron, on Chautauqua Lake. In April, a statue replacement campaign launched on Facebook gained renewed interest in the wake of local media stories on the statue, which was dubbed "Scary Lucy" for its grimace-like facial features.

A Massachusetts businessman has donated $20,000 to replace the now-infamous statue, which will be on display at the Chautauqua Mall in neighboring Lakewood during weekends through Halloween.

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