Large penis removed from Barista’s bull sculpture

HURRICANE – The bull sculpture atop Barista’s restaurant at 460 W. State St. in Hurricane, made famous over the last few weeks after it sparked outrage in the community over its extra-large male anatomy, received a penectomy of sorts Friday when the owner decided to have the bull’s penis removed.

Owner of Barista’s Restaurant has bull’s penis removed from his restaurant sign that sparked outrage within the community over the bull’s extra-large male anatomy, Hurricane, Utah, March 27, 2015 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Owner of Barista’s Restaurant has bull’s penis removed from his restaurant sign that sparked outrage within the community over the bull’s extra-large male anatomy, Hurricane, Utah, March 27, 2015 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

“The famous weenie’s gone,” Barista’s Restaurant Owner Stephen Ward said Friday afternoon, “but the reason I did it is because I didn’t like it.”

Ward, who said he has spent a million dollars on signs for his 5,500-square-foot restaurant, said he purchased the $130,000 bull sculpture in Las Vegas.

After the bull went up on the sign on March 14, Ward said he decided he didn’t like how much the genitalia of the bull obstructed the view of the bull’s belly and the plate work on the sculpture.

Ward said:

I saw that beautiful sculpture in Vegas and bought it and I was just thinking about it and, this morning, after it being up for a couple weeks – it has nothing to do with the city at all – I said ‘you know what, I’m gonna have that penis taken off so you can see more of the beautiful (bull). I love the joints and the plate work, you know, instead of that atrocious, well that party hat. It was so stupid because it looks like a party hat.

When the well-endowed bull initially went up at Barista’s, it prompted fierce backlash from angry residents who called the sign offensive and inappropriate, saying the depiction of the bull’s genitalia was blatantly overdone.

Notwithstanding the recent outrage over the bull, Ward said the real issue Hurricane City residents have is with him and has nothing to do with the sign.

Hurricane City Planning Director Toni Foran confirmed Ward went through all the proper steps to have the sign approved by Hurricane City before having the sign installed and said the sign was approved by the city before it went up.

“We saw a depiction on a piece of paper probably about 3 inches tall that, you know, may not have had exactly the same proportions,” Foran said.

In response to Foran’s statement that she had not seen the bull sculpture before it was installed, Ward produced an email Foran sent him eight days prior to the sign going up in which Foran said she had finally seen the bull sculpture as it sat outside of the restaurant and said she thought it was beautiful.

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Photo of email sent on March 6 to Stephen Ward from Hurricane City Planner Toni Foran, Hurricane, Utah, March 27, 2015 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News | Click on image to enlarge

“When they need to lie, they lie; and when they don’t, they don’t; so, whatever’s convenient for them works for them just fine,” Ward said of the city. “I mean, they lied. It was bolted to the parking lot for three weeks. Every person in this city saw it. It was bolted right there for three weeks to the black top.”

Busting balls with a legal approach

Ward said Hurricane City has conspired to disrupt, destroy and cause harm and disrespect to his business by attacking, belittling and harassing him for six years.

After learning in January he was being denied the ability to upgrade his limited liquor license – his license allows him to serve only beer and wine – to a hard liquor license, Ward said, he hired Attorney Dave Hunter and plans to sue the City of Hurricane.

Ward said he also started a lawsuit Friday against the man who allegedly initiated a petition in March, calling for the Hurricane City Council to refuse Barista’s Restaurant’s business license renewal.

He said what especially causes him concern is that the man who started the petition against his business is a teller at one of the places he banks, giving the petitioner-initiator access to much of Ward’s personal information.

“He’s a teller and he’s never patronized this business,” Ward said. “He’s a teller at U.S. Bank and we started his lawsuit today.”

Negative attention erecting positive results

Since St. George News first broke the story of the bull controversy on March 19, the story has gained wide-spread momentum and popularity, making headlines across the nation.

Ward’s wife, Pamela Ward, said the vindictive and slanderous comments made publicly by some Hurricane City residents in attempt to make Barista’s Restaurant go out of business, has only worked against those residents.

Pamela Ward said:

We’re still busy from it. People came in here – people love controversy, you know – they love it and they want to see what’s going on; and they’ll come in here and they’ll say ‘wow, we came in just because we read this article’ so it really helped us a lot. It did. It gave us probably double or triple the business for this time of the year, and the beautiful weather, too.

Baristas Inc. is a corporation in good standing, according to filings on record with the Division of Commerce. Ward recently added an additional sign to his business, El Travatore, to advertise how long his family has been in the restaurant and tourism business, Ward said. There has been no change of business name.

This is a developing story as more issues continue to come to light. Check back for more on this issue as the story unfolds.

St. George News Editor-in-Chief Joyce Kuzmanic and Reporter-videographer Devan Chavez contributed to this report.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. 

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19 Comments

  • fun bag March 28, 2015 at 5:46 pm

    A lot of folks out there in hurricane enjoy a large bull’s penis, and I aint talkin about no sculpture.

  • NotSoFast March 28, 2015 at 6:21 pm

    Hum, What’s the difference between a bull and a steer ?
    Is a Rib eye steak made from a unadulterated bull more organic before being politically altered or after? What’s the city code say?

  • LUNCHBOXLOSER March 28, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    We heard the same thing about you KOOLAID but we were told you like horses to and were not talking about sculptures

    • Real Life March 29, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      Put the pipe down lunch box.

  • Tm2282 March 28, 2015 at 7:44 pm

    The reason he put the sculpture so high is to represent the “bull …”under it! His restaurant
    Ed. ellipsis.

  • ladybugavenger March 28, 2015 at 8:27 pm

    The bull is more attractive then before. The prices could be more affordable for us regular folks, but then how would he get $1,000,000 for signs for his place.

  • Mike March 28, 2015 at 10:32 pm

    I call BS! I think this whole thing was a hoax this nut used to try and put himself “on the map.” That sculpture was changed too cleanly to not have been done on purpose. Oh, and it was all Ward’s idea to change it….sure. What a goof ball. What’s with the name change that isn’t a name change? Did it take him only these few days to see his “huge amount” of customers were only there to watch the train wreck? A successful business does not change its name on the sign or otherwise. Keep the fun coming Mr. Ward. I’m going to move my money to US Bank.

  • Christine March 28, 2015 at 11:21 pm

    Whatever lets him sleep at night. I’ll still never visit his establishment.

    • jaybird March 29, 2015 at 7:54 am

      Yeah, Christine. They’re thinking his popularity will last. There is a reason no one around him wants to go in there and others aren’t stupid either.

  • jaybird March 29, 2015 at 7:50 am

    This guy may be crazy, but he’s not stupid. He’s now gotten free and reaching advertising for his restaurant… until the next group of suckers get ripped off with his prices for pretty on the outside ugly on the inside.

  • NotSoFast March 29, 2015 at 10:08 am

    If I was Mr. Ward, I’d rent billboard space, just outside the city limits, with a picture of his steakhouse & the unadulterated bull pleating his discriminating case to the high court. i.e. ( build it and they will come) & (Hands Up- Don’t Shoot). Al Sharpton would pick it up and run with it.

  • Simone March 29, 2015 at 10:50 am

    Southern Utah: one of the only places left in this great nation where killing a baby is legal if you claim you forgot about it, dancing is illegal outside of property owned by a fascist cult, people get crazy mad and start assaulting innocent people over a statue but no one says one thing about the pedophile ring that operates in broad daylight. It’s true, southern Utah is a beautiful place to live. Unfortunately this beautiful place is filled with people who see nothing wrong with any of what I mentioned above.

    • fun bag March 29, 2015 at 1:18 pm

      Everyone is too preoccupied with the bull’s huge penis to be worried about those other things. It’s like I said earlier…

    • sagemoon March 30, 2015 at 1:21 pm

      Hit the nail on the head, Simone.

  • ladybugavenger March 29, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    Its crazy huh Simone. I will be forever perplexed by the mom who forgot baby in hot car and it died and not one simple charge of neglect.

    • Simone March 30, 2015 at 4:02 pm

      Totally. Not only was she not charged but the “good” citizens of washington county rewarded her with $20,000. #lapseinmemory # whyinbreedingisbad #fundraiser

      • fun bag March 30, 2015 at 6:19 pm

        Like I’ve pointed out in the past, a person can get away with a lot by being a member of the official state church…

      • makkie April 30, 2015 at 12:07 pm

        Quick question-
        You seem to have a lasting issue with the lady that “killed her baby”.
        Where do you stand on abortion?
        Just curious……….

  • Freelance March 31, 2015 at 9:00 am

    Penis lawyer fundraiser.!!!!!

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