Key West International Airport’s Happy Family has left the Southernmost City but will return prior to the end of the construction phase of Concourse A.

The family of seven was seen Monday, March 13, headed out of the Keys on U.S. 1, after which the group was spotted on I-95 north by WPBF 25 ABC Anchor Jade Jarvis. It was later seen in Virginia and New Jersey.

“We’ve received many comments on their journey as they head to New York,” said Richard Strickland, Executive Director of Airports for Monroe County. “The family members are in need of a vacation after standing in the sun and welcoming travelers at the airport since taking up residency on the roof around 2008.”

The statues will be restored and returned to resume their roles at the Airport.

“They are a part of the overall plan,” Strickland said.

The group of seven is the work of Seward Johnson, who was a part-time Key West resident. He was best known for his life-size cast bronzes of ordinary people engaged in day-to-day activities. Seward’s work can be seen in public settings throughout the world and at Grounds for Sculpture, a 35-acre public sculpture garden and museum he established in New Jersey to feature the work of leading American and international sculptors.