Seven Years Away, Johnstown’s Best Friend Comes Home

August 7, 2011

If Morley’s Dog had a proper name, it washed away along with everything else in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, when a dam burst and destroyed the city in 1889.

The “dog” was a mass-produced metal lawn ornament. It stood in the yard of local businessman James Morley — and was found after the flood in a huge pile of wreckage. Johnstown gradually rebuilt itself, and Morley’s Dog became a symbol of the resilient city, “Johnstown’s Best Friend,” occupying a place of honor in a downtown park. Legends grew around it. Some believed that the statue was of a noble dog that had saved a family from the flood. Others believed that it was a real, petrified dog, fossilized instantaneously under the crush of mud and debris.

Although Morley’s Dog was catastrophe-proof, it couldn’t survive a long, slow century of Pennsylvania winters and people straddling it for souvenir snapshots. “It was gonna fall apart,” said Richard Burkert, president of the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. “No one wanted to wake up one morning a see a photo of Morley’s Dog’s head on the ground.” In 2004 the statue was taken away for preservation (It was replaced in the park by a nearly identical replica, so most tourists didn’t notice).

Seven years passed. The dog was analyzed by metallurgists and probed by restorationists. It was sliced apart, reassembled, patched, sealed, painted in what Johnstown could only guess were its original colors, and given a new tail from an identical statue (the original broke off years ago).

Morley’s Dog is now finally back in Johnstown, on public view (briefly), displayed behind glass in an empty storefront window across from the city’s train station. Purchased from a catalog for under $200, the dog cost $14,000 to fix. “It’s a piece of lawn art from the 1870s,” said Richard, explaining why its repair took so long and cost so much. “I don’t think anyone assumed it would be around in 140 years.”

Where the dog goes next is anyone’s guess: possibly to the Johnstown Area Heritage Discovery Center, possibly to the Johnstown Flood Museum. It’s clear, however, that Morley’s Dog, a tough survivor in 1889, is now too fragile (and valuable) to replace the replica that replaced it in the park.

“He needs,” said Richard, “to be an indoor dog.”

Sections: Attraction News, Statues
Comments Off

EdgeWalk: High Thrills Or Low Blows?

August 3, 2011

Canada’s newest attraction, the EdgeWalk, tethers visitors to cables and lets them teeter over the edge atop the CN Tower, a quarter-mile high above Toronto.

What prompted Canada to take its tallest building, “Canada’s Wonder of the World,” and turn it into a thrill ride?

It may be the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

America failed to win that war when it failed to conquer Canada. The Canadians are pleased about that, and over the past few years have rolled out several attractions that seem to bolster the idea that Americans are losers. First there was Niagara’s Fury, better than anything on the U.S. side of the Falls. Then there was the Monument to the War of 1812, visually reducing America’s military effort to a toppled toy soldier.

And now this. You want kicks? Canada seems to be saying. Forget the U.S. and its Bridge Walk and Skywalk. EdgeWalk beats them both.

A stroll on EdgeWalk isn’t cheap: $175 Canadian or you-figure-it-out in real money. Participants are screened for drugs, separated from all of their carry-on possessions, zipped into bright colored suits, and released to follow a five-foot-wide ledge around the roof of the CN Tower’s rotating restaurant, 1,168 feet above the pavement. There are no guardrails. The tethers are just long enough to allow thrillseekers to lean out over the void without tumbling to their doom.

EdgeWalk can stand on its own, even without a hidden agenda. There really is no convenient taller place in the Western Hemisphere to dangle tourists from a rope. The USA may just have to swallow its pride and say, “Well done, Canada.” You beat us in 1812 and you beat us in 2011.

Then we’ll bungee jump above EdgeWalk from our Spaceport America rocket ships.

Sections: Attraction News, Canada
1 Comment »

Intelligent Mail Dog Becomes An Intelligent Stamp

July 28, 2011

We’ve long had an affection for Owney the Railway Mail Dog, even though he likely wouldn’t have returned the love.

Stuffed Owney — he’s been dead for 114 years — is a novel presence at the otherwise stamp-centered National Postal Museum in Washington, DC.

Owney was a clever mutt and the unofficial mascot of America’s late 19th century railway postal clerks. He rode the rails and acquired a postal suit of armor made of metal tags from the hundreds of post offices that he visited. But he didn’t always get along with people. When Owney allegedly attacked a mail clerk in Toledo, Ohio, he was shot and became Stuffed Owney. Since 1993 he’s been in a glass case at the Postal Museum.

Early in 2011 it was announced that Owney would be honored on an official U.S. postage stamp. This gave the Postal Museum the motivation to give Owney a makeover. In May, Owney was replaced by “Phony Owney” at the Museum while the real dog’s nose was made more doglike, his eyes softened, his bald spots patched, and his suture scars hidden.

Owney 2.0 was unveiled on July 27, and it was announced that his postal likeness was also a state-of-the-art “Intelligent Stamp.” According to Marty Emery, manager of internet affairs for the Postal Museum, pointing your iPhone camera at any Owney stamp (or waving the stamp in front of your Mac desktop camera) will trigger an “augmented reality experience” where a 3-D Owney pops up on your screen. “He kind of prances around, his tags jingle, he stops and sits and barks,” said Marty.

Unfortunately, Marty is one of the few people on Earth who can make Owney dance right now. The official app that makes this happen is still on review with Apple. Marty said that it should be available in the iTunes store by mid-August (the Postal Museum web site will link to it). PC and Android users wait even longer.

The Intelligent Stamp may quickly go the way of Betamax and the Earth Shoe, but we think tag-bedecked Owney would’ve appreciated its theatrics. Just be thankful that he’s not alive; all those people waving their mobile devices probably would have made him bite.

Sections: Attraction News
Comments Off

Kentucky Rushmore, Just One Of The Kentucky Wonders

July 27, 2011

Will Russell has a dream. Well, actually, he has several dreams — and none of them are normal.

For ten years Will has successfully organized Lebowski Fest for fans of the film The Big Lebowski. He obviously has the skills to make odd dreams come true. That’s why no one discounts his ability to transform his latest fever-vision into reality: an attraction named Kentucky Wonders with its “crown jewel” — a replica of South Dakota‘s Mount Rushmore named Kentucky Rushmore.

Kentucky Rushmore will have the faces of four Kentucky icons, 40 to 60 feet tall. The list of potential honorees includes Abraham Lincoln, Colonel Sanders, wonder horse Secretariat, and Jim “Ernest” Varney — but Will hasn’t quite decided yet. Those who fail to make The Final Four, said Will, could be enshrined in an easy-to-visit “Crypt of Immortals” deep within the hollow mountain.

Will says he’s wanted to own a roadside attraction since visiting the Mystery Hole in West Virginia as a teenager. He was also inspired by the Roadside America mobile app (“It changed my life.”) and by RoadsideAmerica.com’s reluctance to add The Beerwolf — displayed at Will’s WHY Louisville gift shop — to its list of attractions. “My hope is that Kentucky Rushmore will qualify.”

Kentucky Rushmore already has a sculptor, Forest Boone, a seventh-generation nephew of Daniel Boone (another potential candidate for enshrinement). “He told me,” said Will, “‘I can do it in styrofoam and spray concrete over it. That’s quick and cheap but it’s gonna look like a putt putt sculpture.’ And I said, ‘Dude, there’s gonna be a lot of putt putt on this land.’”

Indeed, Kentucky Rushmore is just the first of many marvels that Will intends to build on 21 acres in Cave City, an old-time tourist destination that he calls his “favorite place in the world.”

“It’s gonna be a wonderland. That’s why it’ll be called Kentucky Wonders,” said Will. The lineup of attractions would include an “Ewok Dance Village” complete with a fire pit, DJ booth, and disco ball; a museum of Kentucky creatures such as the Hillbilly Sasquatch and Pope Lick Goat Man; and a putt putt golf course themed around the Seven Deadly Sins.

“Most things on the property will claim to be visible from space,” Will said.

If Will’s plans run according to schedule, he’ll break ground on Kentucky Rushmore in November 2011 and have it completed soon after — an amazing feat considering that Will only had the idea on June 25. “The grand vision ultimately is to have a sea of amusements,” said Will.

But can he really make it happen so fast?

“This thing is magical,” he said. “There’s a lot of hot sauce on it.”

Sections: Attraction News, Coming Soon
3 Comments »

Muffler Men Documentary by Clean White Lines

July 23, 2011

Muffler Men, with their mysterious migrations and fascinating mutations, never fail to mesmerize travelers — almost 50 years since the giant statues first spread along America’s highways, and 15 years since Roadside America collected them in one place to point out the phenomenon.

Now a trio of S.F. Bay Area filmmakers intends to tell the M-Man story in a full-length video documentary, investigating and shooting in Fall 2011. Heather MacLean, Staci DeGagne, and Alex Fletcher and their production company, Clean White Lines, are putting together a cross-country road trip to document the many flavors of Muffler Men and their colorful owners.

While Heather first brought her personal passion for the big fiberglass lugs to her naive comrades, now they are all…how can we best say it? In-statue-ated with the mighty Muffler Men saga.

Here at RoadsideAmerica.com, we’d love to see this project creatively realized. We’ve talked to the documentary team about what might make for great encounters and interviews. And we know that they’ll return with many new anecdotes and perspectives on America’s Last Heroes.

Clean White Lines has launched a Kickstarter Project to get the word out, and to gather funds (target: $30k) from fans and supporters by Sept. 1. We encourage you to check out and support their project!

** Kickstarter Project **

Clean White Lines is also asking for traveler and roadside fan stories of memorable encounters with these roadside giants – the good, the bad, and the crazy. Did you propose to your spouse there?  Pepper one with arrows in your irresponsible youth? Get stung by hornets while posing? The best true tales may make it into the documentary, or even persuade the crew to detour to your town for a personal interview!

You can send your accounts as RoadsideAmerica.com tips (mark as: “M-Man Tale”). Or mail your (legible) handwritten letter to:

Attn: Muffler Men
1155 5th St #306
Oakland, CA 94607

We’ll keep you posted as the project continues!

Sections: Video
Comments Off

Meet John Doe, The Man Who Makes The Monsters

July 7, 2011

Do you want your very own ceramic Braxton County Monster? You might find a used one online, but for a fresh model you have to go to the source: Braxton County, West Virginia. That’s where John Doe (not his real name) lives, and has been selling the monster replicas for almost 50 years.

“Most Braxton County locals think it’s just a hoax,” said John of the monster. He thinks differently, but he also holds positions in various Braxton County organizations, and would rather not draw any more attention to himself as “Monster Man” than he already has.

John said that he got the idea of selling replica monsters in the mid-1960s, when he belonged to the Braxton County Junior Chamber of Commerce. He had a model made from an artist’s concept of the creature — a bug-eyed alien seen next to a grounded flying saucer — then mass-produced it and sold several hundred. Then he got distracted by other projects. “I kinda forgot about it,” he said, but in the mid-1980s he revived the idea and he’s been selling about a dozen monsters a month ever since, out of a gift shop named Bear Heaven. It’s the same model, unchanged, as eerie now as it was a half-century ago.

John was in the same freshman class as Neil Nunley, one of the handful of boys who saw the monster in the town of Flatwoods back in 1952. “Neil was the kind of guy that would spit in the devil’s eye,” said John. “He wasn’t afraid of nothing.” But whenever the subject of the monster came up, John said, “he’d just turn kinda pale and walk away. That got me to kinda believing in this thing.”

John knows that another West Virginia town, Point Pleasant, has had success promoting its Mothman monster. At various times he’s tried to encourage Braxton County to do likewise. The county visitor’s bureau does have a photo-op monster in its office (and it stocks some of John’s replicas). But the effort is tepid. Braxton County doesn’t really believe in its monster. John at least recognizes its ability to draw a crowd.

“I knew all those kids that saw that monster that night,” said John. “I’ve talked to them all separately. And they seen something. I don’t know what it was. But they seen something.”

Sections: Souvenirs
Comments Off

« Previous Entries Next Entries »

Trunkation Nation