Beloved Boise Landmark Decapitated

If you had to pick one landmark that stood out about the City of Trees, what would you pick? Table Rock? The Blue? Both are great answers, but if you regularly make the drive down Vista Avenue you may throw this into the mix. 

Before becoming an Italian restaurant, the Cucina di Paolo was a originally a Maytag Laundry building in the 1950s. That's the first time Boise was introduced to the "washer woman" that sits atop of the sign on Vista Avenue. She eventually earned the nickname "Betty" from those who lived and worked nearby. According to a post in the Boise and the Treasure Valley History Facebook group, she disappeared for 15 years after the laundry closed but was eventually rebuilt at the request the property's new owners.

Flash forward to 2007 when the Wegner family expanded their take-and-bake lasagna business into the location, they inherited Betty and have helped preserve her charm.  They even made her one of the Treasure Valley's biggest philanthropists by releasing a charity calendar showcasing Betty in different costumes for each month.  In 2018, they were able to donate more than $27,000 dollars from calendar sale to the Idaho Food Bank.  2019's calendar sales will benefit three animal charities: the Idaho Humane Society, Fuzzy Paws Rescues and Pet's Peace of Mind.

Unfortunately, someone or a group of someones doesn't appreciate Betty's charm and knocked her head off sometime last week.  According to Idaho News, something hit Betty head with enough force to snap her head in half from the right eye. The vandalism occurred sometime between when Cucina di Palo closed on Thursday evening and when Paul Wegner showed up for work the next morning.

If you have any information about the crime, you're asked to contact Boise Police.

The good news? There is a second Betty head in storage from when she was redesigned, but the man who updated the Boise icon has been out of town on vacation so the Wegner family hasn't been able to get their hands on it just yet.