Take a ride on Forest Street in Peabody, and eventually you'll spot a giant rooster and a black bull on the front lawn.
The barnyard art belongs to Linda and Bob "Woody" Wood, who own a small farm with a menagerie of real cows, peacocks, ducks, sheep and horses.
Bob Wood, who owns the adjacent business Wood Trucking, said he heard about the rooster from a friend who had seen it at a Georgetown antiques dealer. He decided to take his wife over to see the statue one holiday weekend.
"Naturally, when you bring a girl with you, we ended up buying the bull also," he said.
Since the couple brought the rooster and bull home about five years ago, the art has attracted much attention from passers-by. People pull over and get out of their cars to take pictures.
The statues — and their real-life counterparts — are a huge draw with children, said Wood, a proud Essex Aggie graduate.
"The kids are unbelievable," he said.
He said his wife calls the rooster Freddy, but the bull doesn't have a name.
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Off Beat is a weekly feature of The Salem News. Send ideas to sflynn@salemnews.com.
