The Grainger Pottery star has returned to Marion.

Long-time residents might remember the star on top of the 70-foot tree on Route 6 in the '80s and '90s, but this is the first time Geoffrey Grainger has put up the star in about 20 years.

Originally the star went up after Grainger recovered from a neck surgery during which the doctor accidentally nicked his spinal cord, temporarily paralyzing his left side.

Grainger was in the hospital for almost three months, and it was during this time he decided he was going to put the star up in front of his pottery store and home on Route 6.

He was inspired by a memory he had from a previous job in Vermont in the late '70s. Grainger recalled driving around a mountain, late at night, when he saw a star on the side of the mountain.

“It was beautiful,” he said. “I was in the middle of nowhere. It was magical. It really made an impression.”

He wanted to be able to give people in Marion that same feeling when they drove past his star, and he wanted people to know they can overcome any obstacle.

“It’s hope and it’s faith,” he said. “When people drive under it I want them to say a prayer.”

When Grainger put the star up in the '80s he used to climb up the tree, but said this year he got a little help.

“I called G. Bourne Knowles, and they came over right away to put it up,” he said.

Since the star has gone back up, Grainger said he’s heard from many people in the community.

“I had four women come in and thank me, and a lot of people honk when they go by, which we love,” he said. “It’s a big effort but it’s something that everyone likes.”

This time, Grainger doesn’t plan on taking the star down.

“I want to keep it up as long as I can,” he said. “It’s never coming down, as long as I live.”