A rock in the northwest Calgary community of Sage Hill that became a social media sensation after images of vehicles perched on top of it were posted to Twitter has been removed.
Brangwyn Jones said Tuesday he had strung some Christmas lights on the rock but when he returned to the suburban parking lot Tuesday morning, the rock had vanished.
Jones said the rock has now been removed and the curb filled in.
“We can maybe hope to see some vehicles on the curb, stuck,” Jones said, joking that without the rock, they’d no longer get the same “height.”
The Sage Hill rock was responsible for at least three crashes over the weekend that were documented on Twitter, with one vehicle even flipping onto its side.
RioCan, the developer responsible for Sage Hill Crossing, said the rock was removed and orange barricades were set up to make the curb more visible to shoppers.
LISTEN: A rock in Sage Hill that became a social media sensation has been removed
Jones said though the rock will be missed, he understands the safety risk it poses.
“If a family with kids in the car had rolled over onto that rock and flipped on its side, that could cause some lasting trauma and it could be really unsafe,” he said.
Jones said before the rock disappeared, a local business had hoped to move it to a new resting place just outside its doors.
RioCan said the company recognizes the rock “has become an important part of the community” and has made a donation to the Calgary Food Bank to “celebrate its spirit.”