Offers pour in to replace New Glasgow's 'completely trashed' public piano

Hours after vandals destroyed a beloved outdoor piano in New Glasgow, N.S., the community has turned its fury into action with several offers of free replacements.

"They're furious and they want their piano back and they're getting their piano back," said the town's director of community economic development, Geralyn MacDonald,of residents.

Last spring, the town decided to place a piano outside for the public to use, something popular in other cities around the country.

In June, the town received a donation from a family and placed the piano in the centre of town near the Glasgow Square Theatre in a place where it was protected from the elements.

"It was used every single day," said MacDonald.

"We would come out of work and we'd hear people singing and playing. There were five-year-olds, there were youth, there were elderly people, there were professionals it was just amazing."

The piano remained outside all summer without incident until this past weekend.

'Completely trashed'

According to New Glasgow Regional Police, a person or a group of people vandalized the piano sometime between early morning Sunday and early morning Tuesday.

That's when a town maintenance worker discovered the piano on its side, in pieces.

"It had been completely trashed, pulled apart. They must have used tools to pull it apart because the back panels were ripped off. The keys were damaged it was completely destroyed," said MacDonald.

Since the recreation department's Facebook post about the incident Tuesday afternoon, dozens of people have been expressing outrage over the loss.

In fact, the community has already received five offers of pianos, though only three are local. It would cost too much to ship the two others from Calgary.

"The Town of New Glasgow is absolutely amazed with the support we received from the community," said MacDonald.

'We're not defeated'

MacDonald said now the town will have three public pianos available next summer. One will be placed in the same spot near the centre of town. MacDonald said officialshaven't decided yet where to put the other two.

"Something like this won't knock us down," said MacDonald. "Whoever did this, I hope they see all this social media. We're not defeated on this."

MacDonald said the town is also discussing some sort of surveillance system to catch any future vandals in the act.

New Glasgow police are askinganyone with information about the vandalism to call them at (902) 752-1941 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).