Iowa - Trunkations

Budget Woes For Less Than Literal Art

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

You can blame the economy, but even in a good year communities can be spending-averse when it comes to abstract sculptures for public spaces. Giant Teeth, Bedrock City, AZ Take Neptune Beach, Florida, for example. Its city council just voted down a $250,000 proposal for “Pathfinder,” a 26-foot-high series of metal rings that would swivel [...]

The Last Temptation Of A Souvenir

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

If a tourist attraction succeeds, thrives, and endures long enough, it accumulates a storeroom full of old brochures and souvenirs. While many owners toss yesteryear’s marketing into the trash and merchandise into the 25 cent bins, some hold onto their creations. They open a “museum” about the attraction’s past, to put tourists in the proper [...]

Roadside News: March 4, 2009

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Disappearing Waterski Lake Refills – WI | End of Trail Closes – OR | Garbage Museum is Tax-Exempt – CT | Abduction of Minnie Pearl – TN | Squirrel Cage Jail – IA

Popcorn Ball Supremacy

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

In small town America, there’s a ceaseless struggle underway for recognition. Sac City, Iowa, makes its mark as home of the World’s Largest Popcorn Ball, a title the town lost for a time, but has snatched back with a new, super-sticky corn boulder. The new popcorn ball. It began in 1995, when Sac City built [...]

Boxholm Museum: One Man’s Work

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

David Peterson cares about Boxholm, Iowa. He’s lived there almost his entire life (He told us that he hasn’t even left Iowa since 1969). The town once had a population of 1,000. Now it’s down to about 200. ”There’s just nothing here,” David said. ”You go more than four blocks in any direction, you’ll be [...]

Elvis, Christmas, And Herbert Hoover: An Iowa Epiphany

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

Seasonal holiday attractions can sometimes crop up in memorable places. The holly-jolly go-to destination this year (or one of them) is West Branch, Iowa, where the Herbert Hoover Museum has unveiled “A Very Elvis Christmas.” Elvis and Christmas can be a magical combo. Twenty thematically-decorated Christmas trees highlight the life of Elvis Presley. There’s a [...]

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