Ten years of work to market the town of Weldon were realized this morning as a 16 ½ foot rockfish was unveiled on Monument Hill.

That was the view of former town Commissioner Andy Whitby, who was instrumental in the town's early preservation and marketing efforts, as he watched the debut of the fish, which is the largest one of its kind south of Washington.

(Complete photos of the intsallation and the unveiling may be seen on our Facebook page)

“The work has been going on 10 years to get to this point,” Whitby said. “It's been in the making for quite some time.”

Town employees and firefighters were up early this morning to hoist the fish to its display, posts made to look like a wharf, a sign giving nod to Weldon's state recognized status as Rockfish Capital of the World. The rockfish is chasing three shad, which are displayed just to the right of it.

The unveiling, which coincided with Historic Weldon Main Street Market Day, was made possible by the efforts of the town board, Mayor Julia Meacham said. “As a new mayor and board we came together to recognize Weldon's history. It's very visual. Even rail passengers will see this beautiful, giant rockfish.”

New fish at the boat landing.

With two new restaurants being planned for Weldon, one right across the street from the fish, Meacham believes it will serve as a hook to get people to explore the town. “It makes a statement. You need something to attract people. It is our history. We are proud of our heritage.”

The fish is just the first marketing tool, the mayor said. She says in the spring the town will be discussing building a transportation museum to honor Weldon's rail history. The mayor wants to use the library, which is an old depot built in 1911 as the museum and either relocate or build a new library.

Plans for the area on Monument Hill call for picnic tables for people to have lunches and take pictures by the giant fish.

Installation this morning.

The unveiling of the rockfish today also meant placing new rockfish statutes at the boat landing and in front of town hall. “Since we're the Rockfish Capital of the World, we needed to have authentic rockfish.”

Bob Lufkin, who served as coordinator for the project, said, “We felt we really had to make a statement.”