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Neat town center, looks well maintained. They should have more information, or a guide, though, for the history.
[Jared, 11/18/2012]Ole Hardhide: Town Gator:RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report
- Directions:
- I-55 exit 26. Drive east on Hwy 22 into downtown. On the left (north) side of Hwy 22/Pine St., at the train tracks, between NE and NW Railroad Aves.
- Status:
- Gone
Just off Pine Street, Old Blue Eyes is easy to find. The quaint downtown area offers some dining, antiques, and local artisans' work.
[Marissa, 07/15/2012]- Ponchatoula, Louisiana - Old Blue Eyes - Town Gator in a Cage
The cage was there and looked very well-maintained. No Old Blue Eyes though.
[Mark, 05/30/2012] You can't miss the big outdoor chain-link enclosure right in the middle of town. We stopped in and found Old Blue Eyes quietly resting in the pool in his cage. You can also check out a steam locomotive across the street.
[Eric Bolstridge, 05/05/2010]- Ponchatoula, Louisiana - Old Blue Eyes, Town Alligator
Ponchatoula has an unusual resident who doubles as town mascot and newspaper columnist. Old Blue Eyes, the successor of the more famous Old Hardhide, is a disquietingly large alligator whose cage marks a distinctive center of town, nestled among frequently visited antique shops and restaurants. Although there are no reports of alligator-ingested fingers or other appendages, visitors often stand by Old Blue Eyes' cage, wrapping their fingers through his chain link fence, waiting for him to move slowly around his small pool. Old Blue Eyes is quite the gossip as well, as his central location gives him access to all the details of Ponchatoula residents' comings and goings. He publishes news of the townfolk weekly in the Ponchatoula Times.
[Marcella Briceno, 02/20/1999]
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Sounds like Old Hardhide -- a tourism fixture since 1972 -- is dead.