We put a charge in the middle of it in case anybody tries to take it again.”

Joked Tom Schmitt

Westport's Fork in the Road flies again.

Reinforced with extra steel, bolts and West System epoxy, the iconic silver fork was re-raised at the fork of River and Old Harbor roads early Saturday morning, about six weeks after vandals stole the enormous utensil. Builder and owner Tom Schmitt called in a few friends to help, and they were greeted by a steady stream of cheers by nearly all who passed during the hour-long job.

"We put a charge in the middle of it in case anybody tries to take it again," he joked.

The fork was stolen early Tuesday, July 17, and located by police a few days later at the intersection of West Main Road and Meeting House Lane in Little Compton. Whoever took it did a number on the 11-foot wooden sculpture, splintering the wood just below the tines and cutting through the metal base with a sawzall. Kate Schmitt, who helped build and install the fork with her husband 12 years ago next month, said she doesn't think whoever took it wanted to damage it — "I think they thought it would be funny."

"I mean, they tried to repair it; there were 23 screws in it where it had been split!"

July's theft was the third in the fork's life. The first came not two days after the couple first built and installed it, when thieves stole it and abandoned it at Charlton Wharf.

"It didn't last 48 hours," Schmitt said.

The second time, thieves uprooted the utensil and floated it out to Elephant Rock, where it was quickly spotted and floated back to shore. After that second theft, the Schmitts dug a hole and poured a concrete footing, thinking that would be enough to secure it.

Fixing the damage done this past time took some work, and Schmitt spent a lot of time reinforcing the sculpture to protect it. He said he'll also install motion-sensitive cameras to watch over the site.

The fork has long been a landmark in Westport and Adamsville, and in its absence someone left a pint-sized replica at the River and Old Harbor street signs. It is regularly decorated by folks for weddings and other special occasions, and the Schmitts change the decoration stuck to the tines depending on the season.  With Labor Day coming up, Schmitt decided to stick the couple's giant styrofoam hotdog atop it, and joked that the next decoration could be a pair of handcuffs as a nod of thanks to the Westport and Little Compton police departments, which he said did a stellar job looking for and ultimately tracking it down in July.

The group of workers finished up around 8 a.m., and by then had been serenaded by dozens of car horns and cheers from passers-by. Just as Schmitt raised the hot dog, a group of cyclists passing by on their way down River Road stopped and applauded.

"The fork lives!" one yelled.