ANDERSON TWP. — Even in the wide garage at David Sohngen's suburban home, a Civil War field cannon isn't easy to conceal.

        “I had to sneak it in because my wife (Kim) thinks nine cannons are enough for me,” he said. “Somehow, she walked right past it and didn't see it until the last minute.

David Sohngen has restored a Civil War field cannon that he plans to pull in Mount Washington's parade. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        “She couldn't believe it. She never curses, but she came close that day. She said, "What have you brought home this time?'”

        He brought a genuine cannon with big wooden wheels and a barrel that is 4 feet, 7 inches long and 800 to 1,000 pounds. The iron barrel is so heavy that Mr. Sohngen and his son had to lift it off with an engine hoist, and “then it was all we could handle. We're talking heavy.”

        At 10 a.m. Thursday, Mr. Sohngen will pull the cannon in Mount Washington's July 4 parade and, later, shoot it in his back yard — minus the iron cannon balls, of course.

        He has spent 160 hours refurbishing the old weapon — sandblasting, priming, painting and sanding.

        “These kind are really hard to find,” he said proudly.

        “Yeah, but if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have it,” said Jason Novick of Batavia, who works for Mr. Sohngen's company, Mr. Lock. “I called you up and said, "Did you see that cannon in the Tradin' Post?' So tell me, is Kim mad?”

        “Oh, no.”

        “I'll bet she is!”

        “Well ... ”

        Mrs. Sohngen has learned to live with her husband's self-described obsession with cannons.

        “I like the ones you can blow off,” he said as he admired his cannon's gray and black paint job. “They're a lot of fun, as long as you're careful. All of them are dangerous.”

        On July 4, kids and adults will see the cannon roll by peacefully.

        “I wanted an alternative to usual fireworks on the Fourth of July,” he said, “and I went a little larger than expected.”
       

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