Archive for September, 2008

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Fun-Suckers Hate Reno Spider

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

The Reno Gazette-Journal broke the news (and thanks to tipster Robot Greg for flagging it) that a large bug made from a VW beetle in that city is in trouble. The bug stands atop a building that has been sold, and its buyer wants the bug removed. The city’s “redevelopment citizens advisory board chairman,” according [...]

Stump of Spruce Giant Still Popular

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

Along the Oregon coast stood America’s largest Sitka spruce, a tourist stop for years among people who like to look at big trees. It was 206 feet tall and it even had its own name: the Klootchy Creek Giant. But there were lots of other, different kinds of trees, that were bigger. And when a [...]

Bone Pit Gawking Enjoys Mammoth Resurgence

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

People have stared at bones in pits ever since there have been bone pits old enough for detached viewing. Yet in recent years it has become an uncertain, even discouraged, activity. Indian burial pits that had been attractions in places such as Salina, Kansas, and at the Fountain of Youth in Florida were reburied under [...]

Bronze Creature A Dream in Colorado

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

Public art doesn’t have to be dull, or so blandly abstract that it’s hard to look at. Just ask Bradford Rhea. Bradford, a professional sculptor, had created artwork for the town of Sterling, Colorado, before. The town — in a generous gesture — asked him to come up with something new. Anything he desired. “I [...]

High Scrap Metal Prices Threaten Smiley

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

For years the city council in Grand Forks, North Dakota, has talked of tearing down “Smiley,” the city’s beloved baby blue water tower with dual-sided grins (and bow ties). The politicians have argued that Smiley is old and would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to renovate. “The only reason Smiley… is still standing,” according [...]

Museum Gives Props To A Big Prop

Friday, September 5th, 2008

What moves an ocean liner from point A to point B? It’s not the fuel; it’s the propeller, screwing itself through Neptune’s domain, shoving the boat ahead of it. Ship propeller in Delaware. Titanic-sized propellers rarely get appreciated because they’re usually under water. And, also, they’re tremendously large and heavy. They’re the giant buckets of [...]

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