MONSON, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- A hit-and-run crash early last Saturday morning damaged ‘Mac the Dragon,’ a large metal sculpture that has stood in front of the Monson House of Art for years and served as a community landmark.

Police said a vehicle struck the multi-ton sculpture, knocking it off its granite base, crushing its wings, and snapping off a foot. Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage in connection with the crash.

Mac’s creator, Peter Mayberry, spent two years building the sculpture. The 86-year-old Monson resident did not begin making art until he was nearly 60. Before that, he worked as a farmer and a welder repairing rusted car frames.

“I just don’t think of myself as an artist…but...I don’t know what else to call my stuff, you know,” Mayberry said.

Mayberry noted the transition from repair work to sculpture began by chance at his welding shop in Palmer.

“I had a welding shop in Palmer and I’m repairing old, rusted car frames and I became known for that,” Mayberry explained. “And then one day I left a kind of a...where I had cut some steel... looked like a fish’s tail. So, I said, well, I can make that into a fish.”

Reed Cole, a board member for the Monson Arts Council, said Mac holds a distinct place in the town’s identity.

“Mac’s special and he represents a good bunch of people here in Monson,” Cole noted.

Cole said the sculpture became so recognizable that residents used it as a navigation point.

“A lot of people give liquor stores as reference points, but around here, you can give a dragon,” Cole added.

Mayberry and one of his sons plan to transport Mac to their shop in Ware for repairs. He said he is confident in his son’s abilities.

“He’s just very good at repairing things and welding things,” Mayberry explained. “So, I know I can rely on him to bring it back to where it was.”

The family hopes to have the sculpture back in place before the end of the year.

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