NORTHAMPTON -- If you walked past the Old Courthouse around lunchtime Tuesday and watched the peculiar scene unfold there, it's likely you thought to yourself, "Only in Northampton."

Local radio personality Monte Belmonte elected to have himself welded into the metal sculpture "Day's End" that stands prominently at the corner of Main and King Streets. The piece's artist, James Kitchen, used rusted odds and ends -- including an old stop sign -- to entrap Belmonte, to the amusement of onlookers.

During all of this, Belmonte, of 93.9 and 101.5 The River, wore a purple wig and a powder blue polyester pantsuit, his face marked with the iconic lightning bolt of David Bowie.

Belmonte said he would not be released from the contraption, which Kitchen renamed "Drunken Spider" and "Fifty Shades of Rust" for the occasion, until $1,000 of his $100,000 fundraising goal for the Florence-based organization Cancer Connection was donated.

The $1,000 sum was raised shortly into the afternoon.

Kitchen was full of jokes as he worked on the unusual project, with quips like "This is one giant tetanus shot waiting to happen," and "A lot of people say they are attached to my artwork, but you're going to be more attached than anyone."

The stunt was part of Monte's Campout, an event in its 10th year that raises money for Cancer Connection. The organization offers a haven where people living with cancer, their families and their caregivers can learn how to cope with the life-altering illness.

The event, which raised $65,000 in 2015, may be its last, Belmonte said. He explained that he needs to make sure the community is still invested in the effort, and that the campout may have run its course.

Belmonte began broadcasting the event from 93.9 and 101.5 The River at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and will stay with a group of campers until they meet the goal.

Local musicians -- including The Winterpills, Workman's Song and The Nields -- are scheduled to perform on Wednesday.