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'Scary' Lucille Ball Statue Gets Role In Halloween Haunted House Event

LAKEWOOD, N.Y.  (CBSNewYork/AP) -- It's a role "Scary Lucy'' was born to play: Frightening people at Halloween.

A bronze statue of Lucille Ball that drew worldwide scorn earlier this year for its unflattering depiction of the "I Love Lucy'' star will be placed in a mall near her western New York town as part of the shopping center's annual haunted house event.

The life-size statue was unveiled in 2009 in a park in the village of Celoron, on Chautauqua Lake. In April, a statue replacement campaign launched on Facebook gained renewed interest in the wake of local media stories on the statue, which was dubbed ``Scary Lucy'' for its grimace-like facial features.

A Massachusetts businessman has donated $20,000 to replace the now-infamous statue, which will be on display at the Chautauqua Mall in neighboring Lakewood during weekends through Halloween.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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