Budget Woes For Less Than Literal Art
Saturday, April 25th, 2009You can blame the economy, but even in a good year communities can be spending-averse when it comes to abstract sculptures for public spaces. 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 on bearings. According to the […]
The Last Temptation Of A Souvenir
Sunday, March 29th, 2009If 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, 2009Disappearing 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, 2009In 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. It began in 1995, when Sac City built a ball weighing 2,225 […]
Boxholm Museum: One Man’s Work
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009David 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, 2008Seasonal 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.” Twenty thematically-decorated Christmas trees highlight the life of Elvis Presley. There’s a Las Vegas tree, a Hound Dog tree, a […]
« Previous Entries Next Entries »
