Pioneer Bar on South University Boulevard has recently unveiled a new outdoor patio that includes a ping-pong table, a bar, a firepit and a seven-foot-tall statue of former DU mascot Denver Boone.

Owner Mark Berzins said the statue has nothing to do with the current mascot controversy and has been a part of renovation plans for the past few years. Berzins stated that he had no idea of the controversy surrounding Boone until earlier this year. Berzins’ father had already been working on carving the wooden statue so he said they decided to keep it.

Berzins says the bar has not experienced any negative feedback from the statue.
“We prefer to stay out of the limelight as a company and allow our food and service to do the talking, but in this case it’s just a Disney caricature and see no real harm in it,” said Berzins.
The statue itself is seven feet tall and features Boone with his traditional coonskin cap, a DU t-shirt and holding a glass of beer.