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Obama Head Rolls: TX to SD

April 26, 2009

The world’s largest head of Barack Obama is about to hit the road.

It’s the latest (and reportedly last) in a series of similarly over-sized presidential noggins sculpted by David Adickes. The head will leave his studio in Houston, Texas, take a serpentine journey through 10 states and 40 cities, then arrive at its final destination, Presidents Park in Lead, South Dakota, in time for the sculpture’s dedication on July 4.

“At each stop,” a press release reports, “an encapsulated piece of the President Obama Statue will be gifted to a lucky guest.”

Travelers between now and July 4 should keep their cell phone cameras ready — just in case the 12-ton Obama roars by.

The current planned route will go through Austin, Dallas, Lawton, and Amarillo in Texas; Tucumcari, Santa Rose, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Raton in New Mexico; Trinidad, Pueblo, and Denver in Colorado; Colby, Salia, Wichita, and Coffeeville in Kansas; Joplin, Branson, Springfield, and St Louis in Missouri; Normal and Chicago in Illinois; Milwaukee, Madison, and Eau Claire in Wisconsin; St Paul, Minneapolis, and St Cloud in Minnesota; and Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Vivian, Kodaka, Wall, Wasta, Rapid City, Summerset, Sturgis, Spearfish, Lead, and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

Don’t be alarmed; this is not an insidious final step in the establishment of an Obama cult (after all, it can’t fly like the head of Zardoz). David Adickes has sculpted equally large heads of every President, and he’s only making a big deal of Obama because it’s his last one.

Adickes plans to provide a similarly-sized Obama to Presidential Park at WaterLights in Pearland, Texas, when it opens later this year. A third Presidents Park, in Williamsburg, Virginia, also wants a big Obama, but doesn’t yet have the money to pay for it.

Sections: Attraction News, Statues 2 Comments »

2 Responses to “Obama Head Rolls: TX to SD”

1. Jackie Solomon Says:
   April 28th, 2009 at 9:51 am

   My husband I were in Houston and saw three sites where the presidents heads are located and it will be great to see the new addition. Adickes work is wonderful. Is there a foundation to help fund the Williamsburg addition? Obama should be in the park and I’m sure many others feel the way I do.

2. Monara Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 10:49 am

   We went to the Black Hills Presidents Park last year after visiting Mt Rushmore. This is a most exciting place, unlike Mt Rushmore they have every President and the likeness is unbelievable. The entire park was great, the people there where so nice and helpful, and there are a bunch of local animals running around adding a bigger touch of nature to an already beautiful park. Trees and bushes every where. We had a very nice lunch at their outdoor café and then the kids played for an hour in their playground while we sat and visited and had a few ice cold coffees. This is just a great place for anyone. We plan a visit to South Dakota in 2010 and will be sure to return to see the new President.

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