Angel of Montague rises from the ash tree

For almost 40 years, David MacCormac admired the enormous white ash tree in his front yard in Montague, P.E.I. — in the spring, when the leaves would bloom, and in the fall when he'd hang ghosts from it at Halloween.

When a large chunk of the tree fell on his roof two years ago, he knew it had to come down. But he left about five metres of trunk and branches standing.

To me it represents all of the angels among us.— David MacCormac

Now, in its place, is something even more majestic — a sculpture of an angel.

"Everybody loves it," MacCormac said. "It's very striking because my house is on a hill and the angel looks much taller than it is."

'How much we have to offer here'

The angel is one of 28 pieces on the Montague Art Trail, which began in 2014 with funding from ACOA and Canadian Heritage.

They include everything from a metal fish sculpture with a built-in fountain near the Wellness Centre, to a mussel archway on the Confederation Trail, to the 18-metre Canada 150 mural on the side of the Kent building.

Last year, the town developed an app that people can use to navigate the Art Trail.

Jill Haley, assistant to the CAO, said it's important for small towns like Montague to have something that sets them apart.

"It's something that people will see and think, 'Oh I'd like to come and check that out.' Once they get here they'll realize how much we have to offer here."

'Montague the beautiful'

MacCormac said a lot of people have been checking out the angel in his front yard.

"There have been lots of comments, daily, and people stopping daily to take pictures," he said.

Abe Waterman of Caledonia, P.E.I., well-known for his sand sculptures, has been working on the angel off and on since last fall. He said the Art Trail is a nice way to give exposure to Island artists.

"Montague has made leaps and bounds in the last several years in living up to its name as Montague the beautiful," Waterman said.

'There's angels among us'

Waterman expects the angel to be complete by the end of July — and last much longer than one of his sandcastles.

"They're not going to last forever, but they'll last a lot longer than the sand," he said.

MacCormac hopes it lasts for many years to come. It already has special meaning for him.

"Some people definitely believe in angels and others not so much, but to me, there's angels among us — all the people with good hearts — and to me it represents all of the angels among us."

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