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AMERICAN FORK — Paul Strong caught a glimpse of his childhood strolling around American Fork; now the Utah man gave back those memories for others in Utah County to enjoy.
Two restored statues of Snow White's Seven Dwarfs from the old Fairyland Park, an American Fork storybook-themed park that thrived in the 1950s and 60s, but was torn down in 1976, were positioned into place at the Utah State Developmental Center Friday.
The story of how they were returned began last year, when Strong was strolling around the Utah State Developmental Center last summer when he stumbled upon the two statues. The relics were buried near a tree, forgotten for nearly four decades.
“I thought they are just deteriorating underneath these pine trees, so I have got to do something,” he said.
Strong went out and did just that.
He got permission from the city to restore the two statues, which became a project that lasted over the winter. The finished projects now rest not too far from where they once stood.
“We are more than happy to have a remembrance of Fairyland Park and the Seven Dwarfs,” said Guy Thompson, superintendent of the Utah State Developmental Center. “We would like to find someone in the community that has some pictures of the original Seven Dwarfs so we can see if we can maybe reunite them.”
