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New Chauncey Olcott wood statue to stand at Buffalo Irish Center

Chauncey Olcott was the composer behind classics such as 'When Irish Eyes are Smiling' and 'My Wild Irish Rose.'

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A familiar face is going to be coming back to Abbott Road in South Buffalo, celebrating a Queen City musical icon.

The statue of composer Chauncey Olcott was outside the Buffalo Irish Center for years thanks to the Carvings for a Cause project, reusing downed trees from the October surprise storm.

That wood eventually split and fell apart, but it's coming back, thanks to chainsaw artist Rick Pratt, who created the original; he has finished a replacement.

"You want to feel a sense of community, and what I've done and given away carvings," he said. "You know, I used to work to create an empty spot with the tree, and now I've got something I can give or do something with, and that makes me feel really good, you know?"

Chauncey Olcott was the composer behind classics such as "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" and "My Wild Irish Rose."

Now he will be standing outside the center again in September.

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