Donkey and miner.

Big Miner and Burro

Local businessman Steve Fletcher, who runs a spray foam business and lives in a spray foam volcano house, built a big miner and burro for a local auto dealership. Out of -- you guessed it -- spray foam. We've observed that spray foam is ideal for quick, bulbous constructions, but when its painted facade is breached by damage or weather a brownish canker sore appears, and it only gets worse with age.

The lumpy miner and burro have still fared pretty well, atop a pole in the parking lot, safely out of the way of vandals and confused drivers. The miner has a huge holstered sidearm, and for some reason wears a sheriff's star. The braying burro carries a miner's pan and a giant corked jug marked with an X.

Albany was settled by farmers, not gold miners, so perhaps the statue is meant to show a 49-er returning north from the gold fields of California, battered, probably broke, but happy to be home.

Big Miner and Burro

South Pacific Auto Sales

Address:: 5040 Pacific Blvd SW, Albany, OR
Directions:: South Pacific Auto Sales. South of town on Hwy 99 for 2.5 miles. On right, on the lot of a car dealership.

Nearby Offbeat Places

Big Possum, Albany, OR - 2 mi.
Foam Volcano Home, Albany, OR - 3 mi.
Living Rock Studio Museum, Brownsville, OR - 16 mi.
In the region: Statue of Gentle Ben, Wilsonville, OR - 51 mi.

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April 10, 2013