Archive for May, 2009

Road Trip 2009 # Two!

Posted by Val on May 29th, 2009 at 12:36 pm | Permalink | No Comments » |

And…I’m off! This time to Southgate, Michigan to watch a calamari eating contest! This kicks off what I am hoping is three eating contests in three weeks for me! There will definitely two. And I’m really hoping to make it to the third. We’ll see!
Can’t wait for tomorrow’s contest though! There should be a stellar lineup as Patrick Bertoletti, Tim Janus, Bob Shoudt, Sonya Thomas, Eric “Badlands” Booker, and Crazy Leg Conti are all supposed to be there!
Can’t wait!
I’m leaving early in the AM and will try to make it to some awesome roadside attractions olong the way. As always, you can follow my semi-live adventures on Twitter @sillyamerica!
p.s. I totally just realized that Michigan is in the EASTERN time zone. I can’t believe I didn’t even think of that! I guess I’m waking up an hour earlier!

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Men Made From Tires

Posted by Val on May 29th, 2009 at 8:35 am | Permalink | 1 Comment » |

A couple of friendly-looking men made from colorful tires outside of a tire shop in Rapid City, South Dakota!

Site: Men Made From Tires
Location: 27 E Omaha St, Rapid City, SD (outside Tires, Tires, Tires)
Hours: Always visible
Costs: Free to See
Date: August 30, 2008

Men Made From Tires | 1 Comment » |

One and Only Hippie Memorial – Part 2

Posted by Val on May 28th, 2009 at 1:15 pm | Permalink | 1 Comment » |

Here are some detail photographs of the One and Only Hippie Memorial in Arcola, Illinois!

Site: The One and Only Hippie Memorial
Location: Oak Street, Arcola, IL, just off of the railroad tracks
Hours: Always visible
Costs: Free to See
Date: July 14, 2007

One and Only Hippie Memorial – Part 2 | 1 Comment » |

One and Only Hippie Memorial

Posted by Val on May 28th, 2009 at 8:42 am | Permalink | No Comments » |

Just down the block from the Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum is another awesome roadside attraction: The World’s One and Only Hippie Memorial. The monument spans 62 feet across alongside the railroad tracks in Arcola, Illinois. It was built by local Bob Moomaw. He had worked as both a tax assessor and railroad clerk, but disliked both jobs. He preferred painting messages on the side of his building with slogans such as “America you’re turning into a nation of minimum-wage hamburger flippers. Rebel. Think for yourself. It works!”

He started the memorial, a rendering of his life in “junk,” in 1992, just after having bypass surgery and years after losing a leg to cancer. Each of the 62 feet of the artwork represents one part of Moomaw’s life: from the The Great Depression, World War II and 1950s hypocrisy on one end, rising in the middle to a colorful expression of the years when Kennedy and the hippies rose to the declining scrap of the Reagan years.

Although Moomaw died from a heart attack in 1998 his work lives on and still graces the town of Arcola with its hippie presence.

Site: The One and Only Hippie Memorial
Location: Oak Street, Arcola, IL, just off of the railroad tracks
Hours: Always visible
Costs: Free to See
Date: July 14, 2007

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Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum – Part 2

Posted by Val on May 27th, 2009 at 1:02 pm | Permalink | No Comments » |

Here are a few images from inside of the Raggedy Ann Museum Gift Shop!

I’m going to try to make it down to Arcola again this summer before the museum closes for good!
Site: Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum
Location: 110 East Main St., Arcola, IL 61910
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 4:30pm, closed major holidays, closing for good at the end of 2009
Date: July 14, 2007

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Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum

Posted by Val on May 27th, 2009 at 8:34 am | Permalink | No Comments » |

Yesterday I shared the sad news that the Raggedy Ann and Andy Museum would be closing later this year. A couple of years ago I headed to Arcola, unfortunately I didn’t have time to go through the museum, but I did take a look through the gift shop and outside!

Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn hair made popular in a series of children’s books by John Barton Gruelle. She was created in 1915, in 1918 was introduced in a book titles “Raggedy Ann Stories” and in 1920 her brother, Raggedy Andy appeared in its sequel “Raggedy Andy Stories.” In 2002 Raggedy Ann was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. In 2007 Raggedy Andy was inducted too (and, I’m proud to say, I signed a petition that helped make that happen.)

Arcola, Illinois was the birthplace of John Barton Gruelle, so it was fitting for the town to memorialize him and his works.

The Johnny Gruelle Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum officially opened in 1999. According to their website they are the only officially licensed Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum in the world and their mission is to “preserve the life and times of the man who created the storybook characters, and to promote the inspiration, values, and spirit of imagination that has made them an American institution for so many years.”
Unfortunately, 2009 will be the last year the museum will be located in Arcola, Illinois.
Site: Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum
Location: 110 East Main St., Arcola, IL 61910
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 4:30pm, closed major holidays, closing for good at the end of 2009
Date: July 14, 2007