An original 1975 drawing of Ione's city mascot, Benny Bedbug, was recently rediscovered by accident at a yard sale and refurbished in time for Ione Homecoming. It's currently displayed inside of Clark's Corner on Main Street in Ione. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson

A cartoon character from the 1960s who represents the happy, rough-and-tumble spirit of Ione re-emerged for public viewing just in time for the city's biggest event.

Amidst the weekend-long clamor of fireworks, carnival rides, a rodeo and a parade, a chance discovery at a yard sale allowed Benny Bedbug to make a triumphant return.

Amador County's largest city has not always been referred to as Ione. During some of its more rugged and colorful time periods, it had two other names, both of which half-celebrated and half-complained about the town's pioneering challenges: The first was Freeze-out; the second was Bedbug. In the 1960s, a local mascot called Benny Bedbug began to circulate through the townsfolk's imaginations. Toward the end of the decade, a local artist named Dick Lambert began making signature sketches of Benny.

"He made dozens of drawings of him," recalled 67-year-old Ione resident, Charley Dutschke. "At one time Dick Lambert's pictures were all over the place." Dutschke added that Lambert was a unique character whom most "old timers" in Ione remembered.

Benny Bedbug became increasingly famous in Ione by the mid-1970s. Today, a stroll through Howard Park reveals Benny's presence all around. An iron casting of his likeness stands on the cross section over the entrance into the park's music area. There is also casting over a lamppost; yet Lambert's Benny Bedbug has largely disappeared off the map.

That is until Russell DeWalt was given one of Lambert's 1975 Benny portraits, which hung in the old Ione Hotel, as a gift from its former owner, Millie Jones. Two weeks ago, DeWalt sold that image to Gary Thomas at a yard sale. For DeWalt, it was important to find an owner who cares about its special significance. "I could tell by talking to Gary he was going to do something cool with it," DeWalt said.

Thomas, former city councilman and current Amador Water Agency Board Director for District 2, which includes Ione, immediately recognized the relic as a unique piece of the city's history.

"I knew Dick Lambert," Thomas said. "He used to hang around town. He was a really great local artist. As soon as I saw the picture at the yard sale, even though it was 34 years later, I realized it was one of his. I wanted to fix it up nice and find a place where it could hang somewhere in town."

Thomas, who describes himself and his wife, Cathy, as strong advocates of local business, took the image to Add Art and had it fixed up. "They did a great job of really doing this picture justice," Thomas remarked of the finished product.

The next part of Thomas's mission was to find the right public venue to hang Benny in time for Ione Homecoming. He approached Andrea Bonham, one of the owners of Clark's Corner in Ione. Since last December, Clark's Corner has added more and more portraits from Ione artists to its walls, as well as a huge collection of black-and-white photos from the town's past. Ultimately, Bonham and the Clark family plan to make the cafe a kind of historical center where Ione's youth can develop an appreciation of the area's legacy.

Bonham, who also knew Lambert growing up, was elated that Thomas offered to loan her cafe his picture. "It was a great find," she said of Thomas's yard sale jackpot. "I wish I had found it for the Ione Picnic Association."

As this year's Ione Homecoming got underway, Benny Bedbug found a prominent new home at Clark's Corner in front of the cafe's famous Cattle brand wall, which has the brands of all of Ione's large cattle families seared into vintage planks near the counter.

"I think it was the perfect place to put it," Thomas said. "Clark's Corner has really filled a void in this community and I can't imagine a better place to share it with everyone. That's really the whole reason I bought it - I think it's a unique piece of Ione that everyone could enjoy."