tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82469174447338537542024-03-13T03:03:37.634-07:00Vintage RoadsideĀ® - the blogNews, events, road trips, random roadside history and more from Vintage RoadsideĀ®Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-12979442403798140712024-02-28T17:26:00.000-08:002024-02-28T17:26:49.220-08:00Harbie the Seal - Harbor Oil Mascot Statues<p>We've long been fans of the Harbie the Seal statues and were thrilled to learn of a surviving small (truck top) Harbie statue.<br /><br />The statues in our collection were formerly displayed at Harbor Oil stations in the southern California area in the late 1960s and early 1970s and are around six and a half feet tall. Over the years a few vintage photos have popped up online showing Harbor Oil pickups with a small version mounted on the roof. Our searches had come up blank each time we've looked for any surviving versions of the little statue so we were thrilled to receive an email letting us know the sender had a little Harbie on their nightstand.<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmRAo4C9uj1NPBK5z96kjWAPLCAErxbaIhcBfXHe2tFSMABNpf4niJ3dZRHhFFP5eIonnAJp3tAtnafRuGXr72-IFN7eiikFlZHQ_KmYh4KBkj_KxuZ57lkaZ6aeZ-C9sEGKlbfIzROK2mbXcbfN5TNViaybu_7icQ8jsh0Kk8__L-OG9vmXmZOJqSBaY/s320/harbiex2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Harbie on left and little Harbie on right.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmRAo4C9uj1NPBK5z96kjWAPLCAErxbaIhcBfXHe2tFSMABNpf4niJ3dZRHhFFP5eIonnAJp3tAtnafRuGXr72-IFN7eiikFlZHQ_KmYh4KBkj_KxuZ57lkaZ6aeZ-C9sEGKlbfIzROK2mbXcbfN5TNViaybu_7icQ8jsh0Kk8__L-OG9vmXmZOJqSBaY/s1200/harbiex2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /></a></div>Their statue was purchased at an auction in the 1970s and although it has lost a bit of paint over the years it's fantastic to confirm at least one of them is still out there. <br /><br />If anyone runs across a Harbie of any size needing a new home we'd love to hear from you. We've always got room for one or two more. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3ubAL78MJnU2mWzFi-1pFH0YEmIbjh3qEJOULuOJj9ElsFhSSZAAdIdy1V7L3kcYCbMJgmfXp4ytO-7ubbSlMPB7r1CXeftnmQ6286cMtZcu1Og6fnx-6UGyxWLCbr-E11l9zO3b9DryVBPI727K4ZZs5T9zaWY4q1TepLxxe96oMfcyFUbvLzxdsR-q/s800/6134122870_90b94e6e9c_o(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3ubAL78MJnU2mWzFi-1pFH0YEmIbjh3qEJOULuOJj9ElsFhSSZAAdIdy1V7L3kcYCbMJgmfXp4ytO-7ubbSlMPB7r1CXeftnmQ6286cMtZcu1Og6fnx-6UGyxWLCbr-E11l9zO3b9DryVBPI727K4ZZs5T9zaWY4q1TepLxxe96oMfcyFUbvLzxdsR-q/s320/6134122870_90b94e6e9c_o(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p>Harbie the Seal road trip.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-60173894508015099992023-05-04T18:40:00.001-07:002023-05-04T19:00:39.124-07:00New t-shirt design for the Sip 'n Dip lounge!<p> "Mermaid!!!"</p><p> </p><p>That's what you'll be saying if you find yourself enjoying a cocktail at the <a href="https://ohairemotorinn.com/sip-n-dip/" target="_blank">Sip 'n Dip</a> lounge in Great Falls, MT.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2ny-8_7H2J3pecyR-1z1VZyNJGTfLWC9LlVP7g38RbW-vFx5R_PemtZz1uUevmTZ2zH_ziNSwqDo1qJ3kTFvcApdowII6EOZgIfDMa96EwxCok5HDFATxvFS0gUrkc-JMGDcSMe49Oh-CHmWWqAu7_HLoEjnZtpzY2jHyKbU5NuICiPNQHL6YjYWCA/s1440/325438433_5081807781921734_1986668778140682160_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2ny-8_7H2J3pecyR-1z1VZyNJGTfLWC9LlVP7g38RbW-vFx5R_PemtZz1uUevmTZ2zH_ziNSwqDo1qJ3kTFvcApdowII6EOZgIfDMa96EwxCok5HDFATxvFS0gUrkc-JMGDcSMe49Oh-CHmWWqAu7_HLoEjnZtpzY2jHyKbU5NuICiPNQHL6YjYWCA/s320/325438433_5081807781921734_1986668778140682160_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new neon sign at the O'Haire Inn</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>We've designed and produced several shirts for The Sip over the past 12 or so years and in honor of their recent "retrovation" we've introduced a new shirt which honors their past.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXvjs7nEHH2Jtwp-EZF5rC4VWwVPOPxLb4mtiyAqczBBbgTFT3RbddzSnDd6cX3P16zYVJDPR7KlkUK11H4T0waf_qQ0Ykp3Yxp7xyTKHPWj6zSoZuKgDB92_um3NqqBI5jWLYFPvjgukJ39DWhYPQUEUoBAI7sMZKHLUf_8Tct1eeQxhKmNEszq9Og/s690/310559325_789753812234552_5387702962553071703_n.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="591" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXvjs7nEHH2Jtwp-EZF5rC4VWwVPOPxLb4mtiyAqczBBbgTFT3RbddzSnDd6cX3P16zYVJDPR7KlkUK11H4T0waf_qQ0Ykp3Yxp7xyTKHPWj6zSoZuKgDB92_um3NqqBI5jWLYFPvjgukJ39DWhYPQUEUoBAI7sMZKHLUf_8Tct1eeQxhKmNEszq9Og/s320/310559325_789753812234552_5387702962553071703_n.png" width="274" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Sip 'n Dip t-shirt designed by Vintage Roadside<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Our latest design is a nod to the original cocktail napkins used in the lounge when it opened in 1962. You can now purchase this one (and several other of our designs) at the O'haire Inn.<br /></p><p> </p><p>We highly recommend a visit to The Sip. In addition to having a great 1960s cocktail lounge it's one of last places you can still gaze through the windows and watch live mermaids swimming behind the bar. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cheers to places keeping their history alive!<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-59610938501458465972023-05-03T14:40:00.000-07:002023-05-03T14:40:25.449-07:00Western Exterminator Mr. Little statue currently on display at the Valley Relics Museum<p> Howdy everyone! <br /><br />We wanted to share the news that a recent addition to the Vintage Roadside fiberglass statue collection is one of the amazing Western Exterminator Mr. Little statues. This is one of four 17.5' statues created by Bob Strom in the 1960s.</p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9OigZa0sLcaOHmathKUz1xssJmNqbOWGjCrM2njxmrrH4-N_qyXn1gm6v88qWGaBmXBqhhrm9vmasjv4TePTEoQSyVKSwTxaQlhO4KbvRd5x6ymMFRpi29WNjynBukpxrDFTjE0doJowZfFSRyeJPZ05UeXtbkex8qAqsAApQ_ion5zUAcjhIxwWOA/s1440/51602184937_ea60b2a6ac_o(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9OigZa0sLcaOHmathKUz1xssJmNqbOWGjCrM2njxmrrH4-N_qyXn1gm6v88qWGaBmXBqhhrm9vmasjv4TePTEoQSyVKSwTxaQlhO4KbvRd5x6ymMFRpi29WNjynBukpxrDFTjE0doJowZfFSRyeJPZ05UeXtbkex8qAqsAApQ_ion5zUAcjhIxwWOA/w400-h300/51602184937_ea60b2a6ac_o(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Little and Menace Mouse in Santa Ana, CA</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>With the goal of continuing to share this piece of history, we've teamed up with our friends at the <a href="https://valleyrelicsmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Valley Relics Museum</a> in Van Nuys, CA. The statue is currently on loan through 2023 and they've created a perfect setting for him. Since arriving at the museum he's become quite the social media star appearing in countless photos and videos. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpm74fm8Jzf_Ext9GzYIdmFMfUY0XdBD7jvgLycaDNo3XHTXbc-THzqlsXlYYhZkH8XaHs9IUBncYS4HQaN2zRdiWnz1wjtodPJCCsdU0M1nakTgJZFImbrT3e4gp9MGAAFzC0VKxjLKh-xGezaUgoTyzagHRyzaZz3aNHOaASrFiCHrbdWNk3Ohx2zQ/s764/51618945703_e342e3e7dd_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="764" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpm74fm8Jzf_Ext9GzYIdmFMfUY0XdBD7jvgLycaDNo3XHTXbc-THzqlsXlYYhZkH8XaHs9IUBncYS4HQaN2zRdiWnz1wjtodPJCCsdU0M1nakTgJZFImbrT3e4gp9MGAAFzC0VKxjLKh-xGezaUgoTyzagHRyzaZz3aNHOaASrFiCHrbdWNk3Ohx2zQ/w400-h400/51618945703_e342e3e7dd_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Little & Menace Mouse now on display at the Valley Relics Museum. Van Nuys, CA</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Huge thanks to Rentokil and Western Exterminator for allowing us to become the new caretakers of this statue. Also a huge thanks to Valley Relics Museum for all of their work preparing a space in their fantastic museum.</p><p>To learn more about our work with Mr. Little click <a href="https://www.pctonline.com/news/western-exterminator-mr-little-california-rentokil-company-statue-tour/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /></p>Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0Van Nuys, Los Angeles, CA, USA34.1898566 -118.4513575.8796227638211533 -153.607607 62.500090436178844 -83.295107tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-43724106382490628102019-12-19T18:42:00.000-08:002019-12-19T18:42:47.606-08:00New Photos available from the Vintage Roadside ArchivesLooking for unique historic images for your decorating needs? We fired our Etsy print shop back up about a month ago and the response has been great. For those of you that have purchased prints we'd like to offer a sincere thank you! For those of you that haven't swung by yet we hope you find something perfect for your home, office or business. You can find our shop <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageRoadside" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Our images differ from many online print sellers in that none of them come from government or library public domain collections. We own the original negatives for each image we offer and have personally drum scanned, processed and produced everything we offer.<br />
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Here are a few recent images we've made available:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-Yy8C3ZD-snN02ON2Qht0kiqR9xW7EUc4oLcxBRserUYtqaTX0EwrWdjWBjVwfagw0rVm3rmxDXaWNm5IMAOOCgFUdWz2tjruN3WD23EhCYPJtFWaN2XavTH1-fyTFc0eXyivXH2gR3L/s1600/gcanyonmock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-Yy8C3ZD-snN02ON2Qht0kiqR9xW7EUc4oLcxBRserUYtqaTX0EwrWdjWBjVwfagw0rVm3rmxDXaWNm5IMAOOCgFUdWz2tjruN3WD23EhCYPJtFWaN2XavTH1-fyTFc0eXyivXH2gR3L/s320/gcanyonmock2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A group <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/749282004/vintage-grand-canyon-road-trip-photo?ref=shop_home_active_8" target="_blank">shot of tourists</a> in the 1950s enjoying the wonder that is the Grand Canyon. Print from an original 4"x5' negative.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtCLLwagN0juZ1xADfa77JlnWfrwdk5lmVLEr687w9cdUpx9XSJ267eh9wOslK87stUhDhVv3LusNUf47tasU0sGvlzzUW3DD_0AwP3FM9y7hPKH30n7_oY5cvErby80yUWRJrstP7Ndj/s1600/2cowboysmock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtCLLwagN0juZ1xADfa77JlnWfrwdk5lmVLEr687w9cdUpx9XSJ267eh9wOslK87stUhDhVv3LusNUf47tasU0sGvlzzUW3DD_0AwP3FM9y7hPKH30n7_oY5cvErby80yUWRJrstP7Ndj/s320/2cowboysmock2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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1950s Arizona <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/248036509/vintage-arizona-cowboys-and-horses-at?ref=shop_home_active_14" target="_blank">Dude Ranch Cowboys</a>. Print from an original 4"x5" negative.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYL75nheblefgYK0D0JShZR1mpE1rnDjCyjXWwHhyphenhyphenHOEJL0tC9xqZJe_cBCStDLwB0YZz_-S7032JhxQnrmGiutlBxg-YojoPZHPYG_X3sfjXQ1eamcplWKcxTd6g9jy8JMVyUvvsnS2k/s1600/mtnlionmock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYL75nheblefgYK0D0JShZR1mpE1rnDjCyjXWwHhyphenhyphenHOEJL0tC9xqZJe_cBCStDLwB0YZz_-S7032JhxQnrmGiutlBxg-YojoPZHPYG_X3sfjXQ1eamcplWKcxTd6g9jy8JMVyUvvsnS2k/s320/mtnlionmock2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The remains of the roadside zoo along old Route 66 in <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/757251837/abandoned-arizona-route-66-two-guns?ref=shop_home_active_4" target="_blank">Two Guns, Arizona</a>. Photo by us.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbWmpvc-yFzN5FMs7kr6x-N2XnBySTuJ-ROhYrjHk7gTZN9ZZED2ubpxjWZwEAz4zF9FGSeB2IcWJisphyphenhyphenlUnqB6mWvoBNgkfnDwd2S_k6HfwRPDzCGH911xjRHafbwjvZAkGoaPPbH9L/s1600/Bedrockmock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbWmpvc-yFzN5FMs7kr6x-N2XnBySTuJ-ROhYrjHk7gTZN9ZZED2ubpxjWZwEAz4zF9FGSeB2IcWJisphyphenhyphenlUnqB6mWvoBNgkfnDwd2S_k6HfwRPDzCGH911xjRHafbwjvZAkGoaPPbH9L/s320/Bedrockmock2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/730108472/bedrock-city-flintstones-roadside?ref=shop_home_active_17" target="_blank">Bedrock City</a> near the Grand Canyon. A 1960s roadside attraction that was recently sold. Photo by us.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWwBBACoyVA5SZwrC8g82DBXuqSCrsClBanTUVG38mWMkXRJlcXB_Z8zbInHa8_z0TLadaO50RESa1OJW0IukLha-pLID8y5rt5zGDFzZmMhYSBCDECS02WRf5kk5ZD_Lx6UiN1e8aSVm/s1600/roysmock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWwBBACoyVA5SZwrC8g82DBXuqSCrsClBanTUVG38mWMkXRJlcXB_Z8zbInHa8_z0TLadaO50RESa1OJW0IukLha-pLID8y5rt5zGDFzZmMhYSBCDECS02WRf5kk5ZD_Lx6UiN1e8aSVm/s320/roysmock2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/252859644/roys-motel-and-cafe-amboy-california?ref=shop_home_active_7" target="_blank">Roy's Motel & Cafe</a> along old Route 66 in Amboy, California. Photo by us.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82wDz-vvwV-WcXCXdZhSPH3cu9Wk-bcR7Vqu1M4Ge9bfUff6XRvtzgTLAZpCAVuijYkNLO9ObihsD5gu7bAJgQ6O9rRpdrGpmQuqN5IFlQWqi_I8kME37cFNcszQ6-sIhMVP26h0TRiwI/s1600/mailmanmock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82wDz-vvwV-WcXCXdZhSPH3cu9Wk-bcR7Vqu1M4Ge9bfUff6XRvtzgTLAZpCAVuijYkNLO9ObihsD5gu7bAJgQ6O9rRpdrGpmQuqN5IFlQWqi_I8kME37cFNcszQ6-sIhMVP26h0TRiwI/s320/mailmanmock2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/763563475/mail-carrier-on-1911-wagner-4-11?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank">mail carrier</a> in South Dakota in 1915 posing with his 1911 Wagner 4-11 Motorcycle. Print from original nitrate negative.</div>
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We'll be working over the next few months to digitize more of our archives so if there's anything specific you're looking for we'd love to hear from you!<br />
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Safe travels,<br />
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
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Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-56006134508703295042019-10-15T11:13:00.000-07:002019-10-24T22:05:07.653-07:00Mystery Corner StoreUPDATE - Location confirmed as W Danville Street, South Hill, Virginia. Building now gone.<br />
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Calling all roadside detectives! We've got a 35mm Kodachrome slide we'd love to pin down location-wise. Over on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VintageRoadside/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> there were a couple suggestions of South Hill, Virginia but we're still looking for that one person who immediately recognizes Daniel's Market.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1jBqjnQfPrFCvC0dwLA-s4BV78bfhedb2X0Gdgscedhfs96dlJ_-KvYWvr5EvGDT3YFxV8mbjWyNLFr6UifjlBN_GV6Uemm3smmPoxWwzoOB6Qjjh8-s39kTpEB_BdvcJHTJX4fYMf6L/s1600/danmkt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1jBqjnQfPrFCvC0dwLA-s4BV78bfhedb2X0Gdgscedhfs96dlJ_-KvYWvr5EvGDT3YFxV8mbjWyNLFr6UifjlBN_GV6Uemm3smmPoxWwzoOB6Qjjh8-s39kTpEB_BdvcJHTJX4fYMf6L/s320/danmkt2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are a couple of clues that point to Virginia - the hams hanging from the roof, those huge watermelons and the gorgeous Nolde's Bread painted screen doors.<br />
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If you recognize or remember this little corner store we'd love to hear from you!<br />
<br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-28740528896463841382018-11-25T12:52:00.000-08:002018-11-25T12:52:55.224-08:00How to ship a giant fiberglass statueCongratulations! You've found that giant fiberglass statue you've always wanted and worked out payment arrangements. Now comes the tricky part - how the heck do you get it home?
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEg1jw6acQJ-d5Ac7CW4HmaekDH4-X59P-NQv3Mb3noa0odfxUQ6fEF1j0L2AaUfQDfpXlguOxVVhC5g_TRRwT7bGC03oSrkZ5-EeOj8iEsCZXXaPDUZPfL3pF_3glYRc-MCpbPrysXqs/s400/073.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our muffler man Big George in a TX warehouse</td></tr>
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This is a question we've asked ourselves many times and also been asked many times. Unfortunately, the short answer is, "It sorta depends."<br />
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One thing we've found in our collecting of fiberglass giants the past dozen or so years is that finding one even remotely close to where you live is akin to winning the lottery. Out of our current crop of 16 statues the only one we've found in our own town ended up being our smallest statue. In that case it was a piece of cake. We drove across town, threw it in the back of our station wagon and were home in an hour. Total cost - about $5.00 in gas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwrrraDs2BFVe6g5JlEuF46JEtJD06yr5Jup9HlkE6Gkl3ycWODoE5sCrTmyZLzW1FUV8GLuOG8E4QsKgpqBdBbhTgR7vF6erpp2su95Nd8G6Rc21ns4xnsoz_5BDuMqnqvmX0OjRPrJE/s1600/2399338377_dfdcc89f0f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="638" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwrrraDs2BFVe6g5JlEuF46JEtJD06yr5Jup9HlkE6Gkl3ycWODoE5sCrTmyZLzW1FUV8GLuOG8E4QsKgpqBdBbhTgR7vF6erpp2su95Nd8G6Rc21ns4xnsoz_5BDuMqnqvmX0OjRPrJE/s400/2399338377_dfdcc89f0f_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skunky Brewster - our local find.</td></tr>
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In most cases transportation comes down to that classic dilemma of choosing two out of three options:<br />
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<li>Fast</li>
<li>Good</li>
<li>Cheap</li>
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Let's assume your statue's shipping needs are similar to the majority we've experienced. It's somewhere between 6' - 20' tall, weighs between 60 - 300 pounds, and you'd like to get it home as soon as possible.<br />
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For us, we've determined that there are three realistic options for getting your new treasure home. We'll break those down below with our thoughts on what we like and don't like about these options.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrHX0nkIffLWNUUSWrXTB60eguTH8RMDIUGzNoG8jJpFKLtAFzTSHQDFbvS98bOsetbwe_XFWDRUMVFYRLSkmQ6s1UPwbpf5mGM0RMAwBYmU3xcL4FM4tk6MHjJ8MpJRogmFw0wPOQxOw/s1600/2052190436_ef8df495f8_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="800" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrHX0nkIffLWNUUSWrXTB60eguTH8RMDIUGzNoG8jJpFKLtAFzTSHQDFbvS98bOsetbwe_XFWDRUMVFYRLSkmQ6s1UPwbpf5mGM0RMAwBYmU3xcL4FM4tk6MHjJ8MpJRogmFw0wPOQxOw/s400/2052190436_ef8df495f8_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A&W Papa Burger transport 2007</td></tr>
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<b>Using your own vehicle or a rental vehicle</b> <b>- the DIY method</b><br />
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This is the method we've used the majority of times and prefer if at all possible. Anything within 1000 miles of Portland, OR we tend to either drive our own (or a rental) and pick up the statue ourselves. Of the options we mentioned above this one works out to be fast and good. In some cases we've bought a one-way plane ticket to the nearest airport. picked up a rental truck in that town, loaded up the statue and then headed home. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLXIHmXBJ6bHuKpgmZO5NsYrLkcpvg9bl436nqmOAws6ZWnjxdpNFxxPgc-ntktiC47Osb4PWyzhCraC32vTon2ISVT_8uHvzsFj6Gj-f9Z7ryISd85uogoGcPjE8QgtH1qJKanDXFsh4/s1600/IMG_20181024_165608_232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1332" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLXIHmXBJ6bHuKpgmZO5NsYrLkcpvg9bl436nqmOAws6ZWnjxdpNFxxPgc-ntktiC47Osb4PWyzhCraC32vTon2ISVT_8uHvzsFj6Gj-f9Z7ryISd85uogoGcPjE8QgtH1qJKanDXFsh4/s400/IMG_20181024_165608_232.jpg" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harbie the Seal. 1800 mile round-trip. Rental truck.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Lately we've preferred renting simply to cut down on mileage and other wear on our own vehicle. If it's a small statue like Harbie in the photo above, a pickup rental from Enterprise made the trip easy. One tip we have is to make sure the rental has a mileage allowance that fits with your trip - getting home and finding out you owe more than you budgeted stinks.<br />
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For large statues we've used both U-Haul and Penske. Both are available in a variety of sizes and most don't require a special license to drive. We recently completed a 4300 mile trip (dodging bad weather) in a 26' Penske. We have found that Penske prices can vary based on time of the month, location, and inventory at preferred rental location. We'd also suggest the optional insurance as most personal auto policies won't cover a rental truck, and if you're like us you don't have a ton of experience driving a gigantic truck cross-country. Also be prepared to get around 10 miles-per-gallon regardless of truck size.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8ePG88XUeUGj2O-2EDVjBTME8jRGFHu5AdaZDM3srxaJArTRJHq-NZsgBq1mOZEPJBLNmobQiOJPkOaQWcdCfAcd_gvxP95MLuMSobpyZoTAasM8mr8uEluUsK8eE63QjbOThpzzDyRo/s1600/20180421_140356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8ePG88XUeUGj2O-2EDVjBTME8jRGFHu5AdaZDM3srxaJArTRJHq-NZsgBq1mOZEPJBLNmobQiOJPkOaQWcdCfAcd_gvxP95MLuMSobpyZoTAasM8mr8uEluUsK8eE63QjbOThpzzDyRo/s400/20180421_140356.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26' Penske - these things are huge!</td></tr>
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One of the many reasons we prefer the DIY method of statue shipping is you're able to make sure the statue is wrapped, loaded, and secured in a manner that you feel comfortable with. You've more than likely spent a fair chunk of money on the statue and in many cases even more than the statue itself to transport it so the last thing you want is someone flinging it in the back of a truck and letting it bounce around for several hundred or several thousand miles.<br />
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Some important things to be aware of when you're going the DIY route include:<br />
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Make sure you have sufficient help to get the statue in the truck. We've been stuck trying to wrangle one with just the two of us and frankly if not for the kindness of a stranger passing by the statue would have won that battle.<br />
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Bring a ton of moving blankets and ratchet straps. You can never have too many straps! If you need to lay the statue down be sure and lay blankets down first as the road vibration will wear away paint in any area that's touching a hard surface. Also, anywhere you wrap a strap around the statue make sure there's a blanket or other soft fabric under the strap.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAU_pkjO_JmoTYrdyZSKglBsw73_OW9wQXLb2s0UGY39oPkI2HhH1UwBPdMxpfQ-XBt5jgu3hc_b3dqYdRW3OplVXSoYk3fINMFOLiW0iVCEsCiBsTUHpbrzEILXDwtAK6WuMl650Gbn9/s1600/20161021_142043_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAU_pkjO_JmoTYrdyZSKglBsw73_OW9wQXLb2s0UGY39oPkI2HhH1UwBPdMxpfQ-XBt5jgu3hc_b3dqYdRW3OplVXSoYk3fINMFOLiW0iVCEsCiBsTUHpbrzEILXDwtAK6WuMl650Gbn9/s400/20161021_142043_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This only works at 20 mph or less.</td></tr>
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Will the statue be secure at night? If you're driving a box truck with a padlock on the door you should be fine. Just make sure any motel you choose has a lot large enough for your truck. If you're driving a pickup or towing an open trailer you'll have to decide your own comfort level. We always look at it in how quickly someone could steal the statue - smaller items tend to give us bigger concerns. On our last Harbie trip we spent one night with the statue getting a few less-than-perfect hours of sleep in a well-lit and well-traveled rest area. Do be prepared to wake up and find people standing next to your truck taking photos. A bit surreal to wake up to something like that...<br />
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If you're driving a 26' truck be prepared to have a much narrower range of fuel and dining options. We found that due to the height and huge turning radius of the truck many normal gas stations were a no-go. The same goes for many restaurants along the way. The easiest way was to just plan on fuel and food at your truck stop of choice. Also in most cases it was easiest to get diesel by going through the semi-truck pump island. If you're not used to these trucks, brace yourself the first time you fill up that 70-gallon tank.<br />
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Be prepared to be one of those trucks going 20 mph up any kind of hill. We just turned on our flashers and plugged along.<br />
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Wrapping up the DIY method we personally do feel it's the best option if at all possible. It's not cheap, but as you'll read below there really isn't a way we've found that would fall into that category with any kind of predictability. <br />
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<b>uShip or something similar.</b><br />
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<b><br /></b>For those of you not familiar with uShip, it's a service where you list an item (size, weight, pick up and destination, etc.) and shippers bid to transport it. Over the years we've heard and read countless reviews of the service and to sum it up: it may go awesome or it may end up in swearing and tears. Using the two out of three formula from earlier, it actually breaks the mold in that it <i>could</i> be any of those three things as long as you put the word "sorta" in front of it.<br />
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We have used the service one time in the shipping of our muffler man from Texas to Oregon. We'd rate that experience as less than positive. For starters, be prepared for bids much higher than white-glove professional moving companies. Also, when we used the service we were not able to contact any bidder until we accepted a bid. After finally accepting a bid for a "blanket wrap in enclosed trailer" transport, we agreed upon a pick up date. We got a text when the shipper was onsite and loading our statue, but several hours later we received a call from the seller saying he had concerns with our shipper. Not the news you're hoping for. We finally reached the shipper on the phone and it turns out he had accepted other shipments and had filled his trailer before picking up our statue. He assured us he could make it work and would let us know when he was on the road. The photo below is the one he sent us to let us know all was good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA7RZOwHadMUtVlhPYnv3BHTgQuTs0_LrMAlT4hHcYFNso8el8F8_5LhNtBeZcENSfkeWfCWnsFuKLN583-Jd79GUzfgkOF5WgyJ4MdsvIDIlOe91Xku-gFRK_F1Pp3ednsn8a-wM-q2d/s1600/IMG_20160208_213146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="912" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA7RZOwHadMUtVlhPYnv3BHTgQuTs0_LrMAlT4hHcYFNso8el8F8_5LhNtBeZcENSfkeWfCWnsFuKLN583-Jd79GUzfgkOF5WgyJ4MdsvIDIlOe91Xku-gFRK_F1Pp3ednsn8a-wM-q2d/s400/IMG_20160208_213146.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not what we had discussed</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Upon receiving the photo we quickly realized we had vastly different ideas of "all good." To begin with, we had paid extra for enclosed transportation - strike one. To secure this fiberglass Jenga he had cranked down numerous straps across the legs which in turn proceeded to crush the torso like an egg - strike two. We had a predetermined delivery date so we could be present for delivery. That date changed numerous times with the final delay caused by the shipper stopping at his house for several days before making the final trip to our place - strike three.<br />
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We know some of you have had great experiences with the service and that's fantastic. Our issue is that unless you're working with a shipper you know or one that comes personally recommended it's too much of a gamble. These statues are big, bulky and very fragile and it's too easy to damage them if you're not familiar with handling them.<br />
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<b>Professional moving services.</b><br />
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This method is one that we're not as familiar with outside of a couple local moves. These providers range from established moving companies to companies that specialize in high value fine art and artifacts. Quotes we have received for a single large statue have been anywhere from a few thousand to many thousands of dollars. If you've bought a very expensive statue and your budget allows, this may be an option to consider. Services can include removal of the statue, packing and crating, warehousing and more. If this is something that works for you you can start by doing an online search for "fine art" or "artwork" moving services. You can generally find numerous reviews for each company.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTkMGhll-g3B7KaP9OTOLwg3fglQV4R9l1RoyCZcnYmEAaoq3xJ-GL4whPr3G9zzZbXnLNYxbOKYR4K-6Obm2jayZLUeW5RSNhbjiszjaW_3i6x2ZQIj2m4_qaqqhuS7OOe_anbbP6b5q/s1600/20171003_124542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTkMGhll-g3B7KaP9OTOLwg3fglQV4R9l1RoyCZcnYmEAaoq3xJ-GL4whPr3G9zzZbXnLNYxbOKYR4K-6Obm2jayZLUeW5RSNhbjiszjaW_3i6x2ZQIj2m4_qaqqhuS7OOe_anbbP6b5q/s400/20171003_124542.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The joy of watching someone else do the work</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>Misc. methods.</b><br />
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Occasionally you may find a small statue that the seller is willing to ship via a commercial freight company. Something we learned after the first time was to be sure and discuss their packing methods before the item ships. Our first shipped statue was from a dealer that had sold several fiberglass pieces so we just assumed all would be well. The item was shipped from NJ to OR. Below is how the statue arrived. To this day we have no idea how it made it here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4M0JbyyWSO7NV1w_ykGFem0khpoRUQud-L6LaL-XmaRiYX-udHHY_ZKABnEnEzSxxi01ZRelFzSxo04Mt0vVEwaoYOUY1m2pV-htSWTO0k2m6vtUpJ3rry8v21Fsb7GyYhGIRRXr-RH9/s1600/20150710_084652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4M0JbyyWSO7NV1w_ykGFem0khpoRUQud-L6LaL-XmaRiYX-udHHY_ZKABnEnEzSxxi01ZRelFzSxo04Mt0vVEwaoYOUY1m2pV-htSWTO0k2m6vtUpJ3rry8v21Fsb7GyYhGIRRXr-RH9/s400/20150710_084652.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somebody order a head in a box?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Our next statue that was shipped commercially came beautifully wrapped and secured to a pallet. You just never know.<br />
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We hope this post helped take some of the mystery out of wrangling these guys around the country. Just keep in mind that you'll need a bit of help, a little creativity, a sense of adventure, and a desire to own a piece of history. <br />
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Once you get them home you'll forget about the lack of sleep, the bleary eyes, the sometimes jaw-dropping amount of money it cost to get them transported, and eventually you'll even forget that weird guy you saw at the truck stop in Texas.<br />
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We'd love to hear your tips and stories regarding moving these guys around. Let us know in the comments how you got yours home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyy6K2SKLsNYcXMywSrYxTGOa_6mjyBlRT5o0qJ4D-IlJb9I-dg17ETdRssgh-zovn9z3vjMUrpbfIo3DUebhAgaoiL-vbnZGgEVbp1KA2x5CeCw4v-8li0IASKuW9dAUKzibCweKO2cs/s1600/3096190796_af354bc777_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyy6K2SKLsNYcXMywSrYxTGOa_6mjyBlRT5o0qJ4D-IlJb9I-dg17ETdRssgh-zovn9z3vjMUrpbfIo3DUebhAgaoiL-vbnZGgEVbp1KA2x5CeCw4v-8li0IASKuW9dAUKzibCweKO2cs/s400/3096190796_af354bc777_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission accomplished</td></tr>
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a>Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-72793597470347189422017-02-05T13:44:00.002-08:002017-02-05T13:57:53.931-08:00Tastee Freez Twin Restoration Complete!Greeting fellow fans of giant fiberglass statues!<br />
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After several months of extensive restoration our Tastee Freez Twin Eff is finished and he's now back with the rest of the family. In the end he took 114 hours of work to bring him back to his incredibly handsome, birthday-suit-wearing self.<br />
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<i>Eff roaming the hallway at VR Headquarters</i></div>
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<i> </i>Below are a few photos from along the way showing the different stages of restoration. Unlike our statues produced by International Fiberglass (the A&W Burger Family, Big George the Muffler Man, etc.) Eff needed much more work due to originally having a skim coat of Bondo between the fiberglass and the paint. Over the years the weather had taken a toll on him and several areas of the Bondo had deteriorated and broken. The worst spots were under his eyes, the top of his swirl and his mouth.</div>
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<i>Paint stripping was the first step</i></div>
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As we started with the paint stripping we were able to find his original colors - brown syrup, a red tongue and bright yellow body - just like the original comics and the salt and pepper shakers available in the 1960s.</div>
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<i>Under his eyes were patches of deteriorated fiberglass</i></div>
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In the photo above you can see where water had penetrated the paint which led to the Bondo popping loose and the original fiberglass rotting away.</div>
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<i>Brain surgery</i></div>
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Repairing his face was a bit of a challenge as the only openings were the bottoms of his feet. Being around seven and a half feet tall it made it nearly impossible to reach up in there. The solution was to remove the back of his head so we could rebuild both the inside and outside of his face.</div>
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<i>Facial reconstruction in progress</i></div>
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What followed was dozens of hours of sanding and patching until we felt he was as nice as the day he was created. Then came the fun part - seeing him with paint again.</div>
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<i>Yellow body color was applied first</i></div>
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It was quite a shock seeing him bright yellow again considering he looked like an old biscuit that had been out in the rain for years when he arrived.</div>
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<i>Chocolate syrup being refreshed</i></div>
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<i> Eyeballs and tongue to finish him off</i></div>
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After paint was complete he received multiple layers of clear to give him a bit of protection which will hopefully keep him looking sharp for another 50 years.</div>
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<i>Dreamy eyed</i></div>
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It's hard to believe that we first saw a photo of him about 10 years ago and now we've gotten the chance to preserve him and keep a piece of oddball roadside history alive. Maybe someday we'll find a strawberry-haired Tee to complete the set!</div>
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<i>Eff pre-restoration</i></div>
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
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Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-81180418821768356212016-04-12T18:59:00.000-07:002016-04-12T19:09:09.682-07:00Muffler Men restoration updates!We wanted to give a quick update on the current restorations of our two Muffler Men. Well, actually one Muffler Man and one disembodied head.<br />
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First up is Big George. Thanks to the amazing folks at Miles Fiberglass here in Portland, Oregon we're thrilled to announce he is now 100% sound again! He came to us with very severe damage to his torso after taking a fall back in 2010.<br />
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<i>One of the numerous large tears in the fiberglass.</i></div>
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The team at Miles repaired him from head to toe and he's now ready to move on to painting. You can see in the photo below the numerous large tears that needed to be repaired both externally and internally. They also reconstructed his waist line so he could be bolted together again.</div>
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<i> Note areas of large repairs.</i></div>
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We'll post an update as soon as we get him to the paint shop. We're currently in the process of selecting colors.</div>
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<i>Roll me over!</i></div>
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Next up is our orphan Muffler Man Bunyan head. We actually picked him up last fall and he's been undergoing a complete restoration the past few months.<i> </i>The story of this one is that an antique dealer bought it from a picker who obtained it several years ago. At the time the picker got him the body still existed but was "too large" to also save. That person was not able to confirm if all these years later the body still existed. We're guessing it sadly ended up being scrapped. We've not been able to locate any photos showing a Bunyan with this paint job. The photos below will give you an idea of what a complete wreck he was when he arrived.</div>
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<i>Paul in "as found" condition.</i></div>
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His problems were many, starting with the fact that at some point someone decided it would be awesome to glue gobs of pillow batting to his hair, eyebrows and beard. This created a giant mess that took endless applications of paint stripper and hand sanding. Next up was the paint job that appeared to have been applied by hand. Not with a brush, but an actual bare hand. They had also chosen a lobster red for a skin tone. Perhaps they were going for "First sunny day of the year Paul."</div>
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<i>Paint stripper in action.</i></div>
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Once the numerous layers of paint had been removed we could get an idea of the underlying damage. The two areas needing the largest repairs were a large crack running from the front of his cap back into his head and a large tear at the base of his neck. We're guessing that when the head was removed from the body it was done less than carefully.</div>
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<i>This large crack had been previously "fixed" by applying duct tape over it.</i></div>
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Like many jobs the preparation has been by far the largest part of getting Paul back to his handsome self. Many hours of stripping, sanding, fiberglass application, more sanding, filling in small imperfections etc. We're currently in the primer stage but hopefully you can see how great he's turning out.</div>
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<i>We knew that rugged lumberjack was hiding under there!</i></div>
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He should be all painted up by the end of the weekend and we'll post a few "after" photos so you can see how he turned out!</div>
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If you need us we'll be over here sanding away,</div>
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Jeff & Kelly</div>
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<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
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Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-5599536786106587832016-04-05T21:04:00.000-07:002016-04-05T21:24:34.697-07:00The Tastee Freez Twin - a unique piece of advertising historyIt's been an eventful month for our vintage fiberglass mascot collection with the arrival of Big George the Muffler Man and our newest addition Eff.<br />
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<i>Eff settles in with some of the A&W Burger Family</i><br />
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What's an Eff you ask?. Eff was actually the male half of the Tastee Freez Twins - mascots used for a time by Tastee Freez. Eff has chocolate hair and waves jauntily with his right arm while his sister Tee has strawberry hair and greets everyone with her left arm.<br />
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Tastee Freez featured the twins in a series of comic books as well as other products. The most common items are the salt & pepper shakers which are still somewhat easy to track down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha06N50lxJdguQ9YGjd6mKcEsAoG0rJrhYnYHIhDhMRiRQu4aGGv38jVGxgw59Wd1KY_dDbQIvo9W1NxvTmCbNj_xf89usRiZ6iFr1cygfYLpUYIbezNYuN4WPuCU-APVyB8wIrjUWDJAi/s1600/il_fullxfull.287637785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha06N50lxJdguQ9YGjd6mKcEsAoG0rJrhYnYHIhDhMRiRQu4aGGv38jVGxgw59Wd1KY_dDbQIvo9W1NxvTmCbNj_xf89usRiZ6iFr1cygfYLpUYIbezNYuN4WPuCU-APVyB8wIrjUWDJAi/s320/il_fullxfull.287637785.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Here's a lovely set recently offered on Etsy by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/86528739/ice-cream-elves-salt-pepper-shakers-tee" target="_blank">NewportRoad</a></i></div>
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As you can see Eff does still bear a resemblance to his 2" salt shaker self, but turning him into a 7.5' statue takes him to an entirely different level. :-)</div>
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Surprisingly adding Eff to our collection was a 9-year process. We first became aware of him several years ago when Debra Jane Seltzer posted photos of a collection of fiberglass statues she visited in South Carolina. The statues were located at a business that sold concrete lawn ornaments, and after a bit of digging and were able to find a phone number. Unfortunately for us when we called we were told he wasn't for sale. We were disappointed but could tell the owner truly enjoyed having him.</div>
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<i>Photo courtesy of Mark Blackwell</i></div>
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So, we called about once a year just to check in and see if he was possibly available and each year we were told politely he was still there but not for sale. Then in 2013 the phone number we had no longer worked. We thought maybe they had closed up shop and we resigned ourselves to the fact it wasn't meant to be.</div>
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Being us (i.e. completely obsessed) we still thought about him and wondered where he ended up. Finally around the end of last year we did another online search and found a different number for the shop. We called and found out that they were indeed looking to wrap up the business and everything was now for sale. The bad news was that Eff had been sold.</div>
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In February of this year a friend of ours was visiting family in South Carolina and just happened to be quite close to the shop that once owned Eff. We asked if he'd be willing to swing by and see what was still there. That afternoon he sent us several photos including the one below:</div>
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<i>Photo courtesy of Mark Blackwell</i></div>
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It's him! Eff was still there! We immediately wrote Mark and asked him to find out if he was available, and if so to please let them know we'd like him. He was, and Mark was able to facilitate the adoption process for us and we were on our way. </div>
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Obstacle one was that now that Eff was ours we needed to somehow get him from South Carolina to Oregon...quickly. Enter Jacob the Carpetbagger from North Carolina. Jacob was kind enough to drive down and meet Mark to take Eff back to his house while we arranged shipping.</div>
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<i>Photo courtesy of Mark Blackwell</i></div>
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Jacob loaded up Eff and took him on a little road trip back to North Carolina (check his his road trip video <a href="https://youtu.be/bYnO6Lf-ImU" target="_blank">here</a>) with one particularly fun stop along the way:</div>
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<i>Eff says hello to his former employer. (Photo by Jacob Krecj)</i></div>
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Eff stayed with Jacob for a couple weeks while we worked out the best way to get a giant ice cream boy statue shipped across the country. The UPS Store in Asheville, NC ended up being a tremendous help and about a week later we were picking him up here in Portland.</div>
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<i> </i>It turns out that Eff is not only unique in the looks department he's also quite unique in the world of advertising statues. At the moment there are three Tastee Freez statues known to still exist - ours, one other Eff and one Tee (sporting a unique set of clothes.) We'd love to find a Tee for Eff but that may be a bit like finding a unicorn. He's next in line for a complete restoration and we can't wait to see him in a new coat of yellow and chocolate brown.</div>
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<i>Estelle says goodbye to Eff...</i></div>
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In closing we'd like to once again offer our sincere thanks to Estelle, Mark and Jacob. Without them we'd still be pining away for Eff. Thanks again guys for making "Operation Tastee Freez" a success.<br />
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a><br />
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Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-60619300823105525792016-03-02T19:16:00.000-08:002016-03-02T19:16:59.413-08:00Vintage Roadside adds a Muffler Man to the collection!Big news friends! We're thrilled to announce the Vintage Roadside fiberglass family has grown with the addition of one very large new fella - Big George.<br />
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Some of you Muffler Man fans may recognize Big George from the Sterling McCall Classic Car Museum in Round Top, Texas. He was purchased by Mr. McCall in the late 1990s and stood in front of his museum until one unfortunate day in 2010.<br />
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According to his former caretaker he received a call one morning letting him know "the Big Guy was down." He had been placed on a raised section of the grounds (<a href="https://flic.kr/p/57A6ER" target="_blank">image</a>) and sadly became a victim of overnight winds. He fell face-first, in what must have looked like the world's most awkward cliff dive, breaking his fall on the sidewalk below with both his outstretched arms and his forehead.<br />
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The results of his tumble are evident in the damage to both armpits, smaller fractures across his chest, tears at his waist and a non-lethal head wound.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFQOBQgW6U7GZGH6iRqcrlFaCSpPdF_0j2l1rFD4LWnZ-Ghr7RVfVvXh3cvKnOt8Sp5Ue-_Ug8_0eS6kSHDej7Kwry1i7OglTljUWG2e38_aXpqTD8p7qCi_TYwjsdU61f3fndmtluqXz/s1600/bgheadblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFQOBQgW6U7GZGH6iRqcrlFaCSpPdF_0j2l1rFD4LWnZ-Ghr7RVfVvXh3cvKnOt8Sp5Ue-_Ug8_0eS6kSHDej7Kwry1i7OglTljUWG2e38_aXpqTD8p7qCi_TYwjsdU61f3fndmtluqXz/s320/bgheadblog.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Big George was then taken apart at the waist and moved to the Museum's storage warehouse. In the following years the Museum's collections were auctioned off and sadly Mr. McCall passed away in 2013. In the Fall of 2015 a friend let us know that the family was considering finding a new home for Big George. We tried to make contact but weren't able to get in touch with the family. In February we decided to give it one last shot and luckily we reached one of Mr. McCall's daughters. She put us in touch with the caretaker of the collection and he was kind enough to send us a set of detailed photos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgM_mfjuZj2iDrkmALTLXGQBTG57K9Zhc7Jxj8SCqbiwloKHq9peJME7rTb_oMLpOGqVvXP-6Oxuhde59_gUy-mEE1o6OVi06OtyGLSNMJW3hd6UN8zHhcpmuW9aPBC329eE2WwFU3cpR/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgM_mfjuZj2iDrkmALTLXGQBTG57K9Zhc7Jxj8SCqbiwloKHq9peJME7rTb_oMLpOGqVvXP-6Oxuhde59_gUy-mEE1o6OVi06OtyGLSNMJW3hd6UN8zHhcpmuW9aPBC329eE2WwFU3cpR/s320/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After discussions with the McCall family an agreement was made and we became the proud new parents of Big George.<br />
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We do have one bit of caution to other potential Muffler Men owners - be prepared to find your perfect Muffler Man no closer than 8-10 states away from wherever you're located. Before landing Big George we had "almost" landed one in South Carolina, Georgia, Texas (different statue) and California. Being in Oregon we knew immediately the California one wouldn't work out - way too easy! While finally locating one is certainly the largest part of the challenge, shipping a 20' statue home is also a major part of the process. We ended up going the uShip route and in the end he arrived here in Portland.<br />
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The two questions we've been asked are: "What's next for him?" and "Where can we see him?"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSknN4KsQ8hvTQ1CbdkmVRfuLVD8XjaHV55UiuH2JqU06Gf95judj7jtaJt8u-Q6dOMbC35TaQcOsJIPGGJGW8Z3u2XTnLq7ZjcYCAZZUZiNcCN3u64Oss4D5YbHtxIpdsgG22nFJqrRP/s1600/bgpdxblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSknN4KsQ8hvTQ1CbdkmVRfuLVD8XjaHV55UiuH2JqU06Gf95judj7jtaJt8u-Q6dOMbC35TaQcOsJIPGGJGW8Z3u2XTnLq7ZjcYCAZZUZiNcCN3u64Oss4D5YbHtxIpdsgG22nFJqrRP/s320/bgpdxblog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A complete restoration begins for him next week which will probably take somewhere around 3 months. We have also had several inquiries from local businesses interested in having him on display. Our number one priority is to get him restored and back out in public view. Portland has never been home to an International Fiberglass Muffler Man and we're so excited to bring one to town. As soon as we confirm placement we'll be sure and let you all know. We can't wait to get a photo with him either. :-)<br />
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If you're a local Portland business and are interested in having Big George at your location or event please contact us regarding availability <a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/Contact.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>. For over 50 years now these roadside giants have drawn a crowd.<br />
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In closing we'd like to once again thank the McCall family for passing him on to us, and to all of you who have been so supportive of Vintage Roadside over the past 10 years.<br />
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a><br />
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P.S. We've also recently added two other pieces to our vintage fiberglass mascot family - a rare Tastee Freez Twin as well as the head of a Bunyan model Muffler Man. We'll post about those two next time out. <br />
<br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-81694879680772872532014-10-23T10:20:00.001-07:002014-10-23T10:20:39.547-07:00Prints now available from the Vintage Roadside Photo Archive!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Howdy everyone!</div>
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We wanted to share some news with you all - we're now offering prints from our archive of over 100,000 original vintage negatives, Kodachrome slides, and darkroom prints. </div>
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We've spent many years building the archive, and our most recent addition is a collection of several thousand original negatives shot by a Phoenix, Arizona Chamber of Commerce photographer in the 1950s. It's an amazing time capsule of vintage motels, gas stations, restaurants, dude ranches and more. We've also recently rescued several large batches of Kodachrome slides headed for the dumpster. Saving history any way we can. :-)</div>
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To create these prints we use a Howtek drum scanner and scan each negative at 5000 ppi. We're thrilled with the results and hope you'll enjoy seeing these glimpses of the past. </div>
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The first image below is a great look at Sheffler's Cafe in Salome, Arizona in the early 1950s. Sheffler's also served as a bus station and once contained a large taxidermy collection. In later years it was known as The Cactus Bar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJh9z94V2oHvfoxxSJRpGw573-Hg35Br-WGdlK_DiETp_CDtTnWzbyuJDgIs7d9HU1geV2f-3XDhyp5JECp_AeRuMPrFBlu4FL2W3wGEVjDy7LBlGYFj92ZLZpAeCqVvrqKCC0dYqyedQ/s1600/il_fullxfull.669649749_70lj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJh9z94V2oHvfoxxSJRpGw573-Hg35Br-WGdlK_DiETp_CDtTnWzbyuJDgIs7d9HU1geV2f-3XDhyp5JECp_AeRuMPrFBlu4FL2W3wGEVjDy7LBlGYFj92ZLZpAeCqVvrqKCC0dYqyedQ/s1600/il_fullxfull.669649749_70lj.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Sheffler's Cafe & Soda Fountain - Salome, Arizona. Destroyed by fire in 2011. Print available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207759148/shefflers-cafe-salome-az-1950s-print?ref=shop_home_active_7" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>
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One of our favorites is this tourism photo from Arizona showing a model posing in front of a large Route 66 billboard. The billboard lists some of the amazing sights waiting for you as you cross the state.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHO6i0ANPE4PyDpONioBtrAOITFkzDoxPXHlRfjUPBCXX70a1D90tQAV0CzkCw1G_bqbGSBi4IWN32U1gC1nMo7aVhW7xBDKtBV9tJoaX3x0iTnd7gVMRpgrF-iLBpipLmEegxPEcCmDtL/s1600/il_fullxfull.669530154_63rn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHO6i0ANPE4PyDpONioBtrAOITFkzDoxPXHlRfjUPBCXX70a1D90tQAV0CzkCw1G_bqbGSBi4IWN32U1gC1nMo7aVhW7xBDKtBV9tJoaX3x0iTnd7gVMRpgrF-iLBpipLmEegxPEcCmDtL/s1600/il_fullxfull.669530154_63rn.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Vintage Route 66 billboard. Print available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207760374/vintage-arizona-route-66-billboard-1950s?ref=shop_home_active_6" target="_blank">here</a>. </i></div>
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This image is somewhat unique in that the Santa Fe Restaurant building is still standing in Wickenburg. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPXExkk08RacEVYUS55rZ-sF6OIRDsGuasrqol2eHS9PCiwRMzNYcVt-yDrP8ErBrLggcyjUkun3JerBa3k59x38H4ip7r6u04djO_wr5U6AcjNTjmfBpo_emvCk9wgnc8qW-GtMgmWLS/s1600/il_fullxfull.669640083_hw52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPXExkk08RacEVYUS55rZ-sF6OIRDsGuasrqol2eHS9PCiwRMzNYcVt-yDrP8ErBrLggcyjUkun3JerBa3k59x38H4ip7r6u04djO_wr5U6AcjNTjmfBpo_emvCk9wgnc8qW-GtMgmWLS/s1600/il_fullxfull.669640083_hw52.jpg" height="254" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The Santa Fe Restaurant - Wickenburg, AZ. Now operating as the Gold Nugget Restaurant. Print available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207757026/santa-fe-restaurant-wickenburg-az-1950s?ref=shop_home_active_8" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>
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Another favorite is this one showing the owners of the El Rancho (Once located on East Van Buren in Phoenix) posing next to their new neon sign. The original negative is a 4x5 b&w, however we've had a colorized version created using colors from an original postcard. This image was recently displayed at the Harley-Davidson Museum as an 8' print.<i> (Also available in b&w.)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVXAXIWjNwMyKP_7O0Gwnb2ZaGmfuQfo03GlTtE14P6AdvTJ7KNBf6Duep_yfGlS7LArnrVsvA_sgoC0lVU4AD0VPWhuf8zClc5WQYzDJPN3H15ZjEkxOlzVjk4DH6n8ra0zfsjR4XKjH/s1600/il_fullxfull.671152318_dzqw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVXAXIWjNwMyKP_7O0Gwnb2ZaGmfuQfo03GlTtE14P6AdvTJ7KNBf6Duep_yfGlS7LArnrVsvA_sgoC0lVU4AD0VPWhuf8zClc5WQYzDJPN3H15ZjEkxOlzVjk4DH6n8ra0zfsjR4XKjH/s1600/il_fullxfull.671152318_dzqw.jpg" height="320" width="252" /></a></div>
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<i> Color version of the new neon sign at the El Rancho Motor Hotel - Phoenix, Arizona. Print available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/208211915/el-rancho-motor-hotel-phoenix-az-1950s?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>
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A look inside a classic 1950s roadside cafe complete with counter & stools, comfortable booths, and a Royal Crown Cola menu showing you the day's offerings. There's also a collection of candy bars and cigars behind the cash register.<i> </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBe6PfeDwo2qbAbmjBP147zyGM-raIbQqx5gTQt2iwhNyye39beXqvSLuJbJWKi6fQlsD6AVeHuOMEHlIeaue6Q0X1XFbuyJyS91uQTVn2lKqoaare8hYL00PM3a71qkAKBiqqmsFFydo/s1600/il_fullxfull.671251143_2dj5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBe6PfeDwo2qbAbmjBP147zyGM-raIbQqx5gTQt2iwhNyye39beXqvSLuJbJWKi6fQlsD6AVeHuOMEHlIeaue6Q0X1XFbuyJyS91uQTVn2lKqoaare8hYL00PM3a71qkAKBiqqmsFFydo/s1600/il_fullxfull.671251143_2dj5.jpg" height="248" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Interior of a 1950s roadside cafe. Print available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/208193516/1950s-roadside-cafe-print-from-an?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>
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We love old Kodachrome slides for many reasons, one of the biggest is that they were generally shot by tourists. People out there seeing the things we love to see - fellow roadtrippers from another generation!<i> </i></div>
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We're lucky in that the Enchanted Forest is still there in upstate New York, but it's wonderful to see how it looked around the time it opened in 1956.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlutQsWOHN36zQcd4CQyaiUcPXoGph5fOul1b4pvPCWaIBlrjW04KybOBMX76e-1dW5yrOVKEyzW_tJnWGIRCPH8jdNKFuk5VEvZc6OukSPG3Mu-LGWQE1lHtuVn221h88KG9xDCfZYCrN/s1600/il_fullxfull.671270215_6ta5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlutQsWOHN36zQcd4CQyaiUcPXoGph5fOul1b4pvPCWaIBlrjW04KybOBMX76e-1dW5yrOVKEyzW_tJnWGIRCPH8jdNKFuk5VEvZc6OukSPG3Mu-LGWQE1lHtuVn221h88KG9xDCfZYCrN/s1600/il_fullxfull.671270215_6ta5.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>1950s Kodachrome of the Enchanted Forest of the Adirondacks amusement park in Old Forge, NY. Print available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/208210533/enchanted-forest-of-the-adirondacks?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>
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All images are available in a variety of sizes. Images are also available for museum, publication or commercial use. If you'd like to inquire about usage please send us a message through our contact form <a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/Contact.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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If you'd like to keep up with the images as we make them available you can follow along at our Facebook photography page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VintageRoadsidePhotography" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Safe travels,</div>
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Jeff & Kelly<br /><a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-70067088491463940492013-10-02T21:34:00.002-07:002013-10-02T21:34:24.246-07:00On the Road with Daddy-O Grande of Los StraitjacketsWe're pleased to kick off a new series here on the Vintage Roadside blog featuring interesting people and their road trip stories.<div>
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You may recognize our first guest, Daddy-O Grande, as one of the masked members of Los Straitjackets. Let's turn up our copy of Jet Set, get comfortable, and enjoy a few of Daddy-O's stories of the road.<br /><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqps0OzmW0lQUSP8cpCsrhgcBr22t9Zq7uw47ey13sNfKKxxgexzPPBaRVP9yD-8_N7ygm5XuV9E4D5biEeXUMTzcyw94U-16oYSf-baXEHWgwK79oIPZqKI7ujD1ZaAYnppAFck2N64o/s1600/922120_10151890081902289_1932428602_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqps0OzmW0lQUSP8cpCsrhgcBr22t9Zq7uw47ey13sNfKKxxgexzPPBaRVP9yD-8_N7ygm5XuV9E4D5biEeXUMTzcyw94U-16oYSf-baXEHWgwK79oIPZqKI7ujD1ZaAYnppAFck2N64o/s320/922120_10151890081902289_1932428602_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: What's your earliest road trip memory?</div>
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<b>Daddy-O</b>: The first road trip I remember was in 1963 when my family moved from Memphis to Minneapolis. My dad was driving his '62 Ford Galaxie 500. I don't remember the driving part too well, but the colorful motels we stayed at along the way always stuck in my mind. I ended up totally hooked on road travel, unfortunately something my family didn't seem to enjoy doing. Once I became an adult I pretty much never stopped.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Being a full-time musician all these years how many states have you been to so far?</div>
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<b>Daddy-O</b>: Every state except Hawaii, that's on my bucket list. I've played gigs in every state except Alaska, Hawaii and Wyoming.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: You probably feel the same way us in that it's impossible to pick a "favorite" state to road trip through. But, if someone asks you what state they should plan a road trip to what's the first one that pops into your head?<br /><br /><b>Daddy-O</b>: I like driving through Wisconsin! Wisconsin has an abundance of giant fiberglass animal statues on the side of the road, not to mention the numerous cheese shops and bizarre tourist attractions. The Wisconsin Dells are a real treat.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: You've done a lot of travelling over the years but if you had two weeks, unlimited gas and no schedule where would you head off to?</div>
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<b>Daddy-O</b>: I've always dreamed of driving the entire length of the Pan-American highway, from Fairbanks, Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina. Unfortunately there's a gap at the Panama-Colombia border that's impossible to cross. That trip would take more than 2 weeks though.</div>
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More practically, sometime soon I'm thinking of taking a trip through Monument Valley and up to Yellowstone, two places I've yet to visit.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: One of the joys of a road trip is experiencing mom and pop businesses. From roadside attractions to tiny restaurants in the middle of nowhere it's these places that we always seem to remember years after the trip. Sometimes the ones you really remember though are the odd ones. We've stayed in the Clown Motel, visited a telephone museum, and eaten in places where it's best not to ask when the last time a health inspector stopped by. What are some of the places or things that stand out from your travels?</div>
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<b>Daddy-O</b>: There's been more than one barbecue restaurant near the Texas-Arkansas border that reminded me of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there's no way I could remember names. </div>
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I'll never forget the wonderful "Snowflake Motel" I stayed at with Beat Rodeo outside of Detroit somewhere, a tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright. </div>
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I'll always remember my car breaking down in Pennsylvania and discovering the nearest town was an Amish community called Intercourse.</div>
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<i>Intercourse, PA. 1986</i></div>
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Also, I can't drive through northern Wisconsin without having a meal at my favorite Norwegian restaurant, The Norske Nook in Osseo.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Ha! We've eaten at a few places like that too. Are you a fan of roadside attractions?</div>
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<b>Daddy-O</b>: Mostly unusual museums.</div>
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There was a time in the 80s when it seemed like every city in the south had an Elvis museum, I stopped at many. I saw Elvis' Chest X-Rays at one in Gatlinburg, TN.</div>
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<i>Elvis X-Rays on display</i></div>
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When I stopped at the Credit Union Museum in Madison, WI the lady at the front desk was surprised I actually wanted to go inside. They had to actually unlock the doors of the theatre for me so I could watch the multimedia presentation on the history of debt.</div>
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The Tupperware Museum in Kissimmee, FL was my favorite though. Featuring the ideal Tupperware kitchen and a cross section of an RV to demonstrate the use of Tupperware while camping, as well as the history of Tupperware parties and food storage through the ages. An attempt to increase attendance by changing the name to The Tupperware Awareness Center failed, and sadly the museum no longer exists.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Are you a souvenir guy? Ever bring home something really unique?</div>
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<b>Daddy-O</b>: Mostly from other countries, mostly homemade. I have a Zapatista rebel doll from Chiapas, Mexico.</div>
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<i>Daddy-O's Zapatista Rebel doll</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Many people out there, including ourselves have clocked miles listening to Los Straitjackets. We've got to ask - what's next for the band and where will people have a chance to see you and the band again?</div>
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<b>Daddy-O</b>: Health issues prevent me from touring full time with the band, and they like to tour more than I'm able, so I do an occasional easy show and let them do all the hard ones. I'll be performing three stadium concerts in Mexico with Los Straitjackets in November 2013. That's all I'm planning on right now. Look for the Halloween themed "Mondo Zombie Boogaloo" that's just been released, and a collaboration with Deke Dickerson to be released next year. Also next year, I plan to release two new solo projects I've recorded in Mexico.</div>
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<i>Daddy-O in the studio in Mexico</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Before we let you go do you have another memorable story you could share with us?</div>
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<b>Daddy-O</b>: In October 1995 Los Straitjackets were touring the gulf coast and we played a show in Pensacola, FL and stayed at a hotel on the beach that night. The next morning a hurricane warning evacuated the town and we searched for and finally found a bar with a TV so we could watch the OJ Simpson verdict. From there we drove to Biloxi, MS to play a big outdoor festival opening for Blood Sweat & Tears. Because of the impending hurricane, BS&T cancelled and few people attended. Instead we played on a huge stage for about 15 people who came to see Blood Sweat & Tears. It was our first year of touring, we were completely unknown, and the audience was very surprised. Later that night, the hotel we'd stayed in at Pensacola Beach was completely destroyed.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Thanks so much for spending some time with us Daddy-O, it was a pleasure to hear a few of your memories and stories from the road! Now, to get into the Halloween spirit we're gonna head over <a href="http://yeproc.11spot.com/100-years-of-roc-mondo-zombie-boogalo.html" target="_blank">here</a> to pick up the new "Mondo Zombie Boogaloo."</div>
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To keep up with Daddy-O please visit his website <a href="http://www.daddyogrande.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. And, for all things Los Straitjackets you'll find the band's website <a href="http://www.straitjackets.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<i>All photos courtesy of Daddy-O Grande and/or Los Straitjackets.</i></div>
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Until next time,</div>
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Jeff & Kelly</div>
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<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
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Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-9367811956418839472013-05-17T20:01:00.000-07:002013-05-17T20:01:23.541-07:00Vintage Roadside hosts the first-ever Aquarama reunion!Fifty years ago, construction began on one of the many roadside attractions that once lined the highways of America. However this wasn't another Mystery House, or even a dinosaur park, it was the Aquarama - an underwater mermaid show located in Osage Beach, Missouri. The show opened to the public in May of 1964 and quietly closed in 1973. In the years that followed, the memories of the show slowly faded away from the general public and the former performers tucked away their experiences and moved on with their lives.<br />
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Seven years ago, we were at an antique show and ran across a stack of vintage brochures. The one that jumped out at us was a simple black and silver brochure with the word Aquarama on it along with the silhouette of a mermaid. We thought it would be a fun addition to our line of t-shirts so we bought the brochure and started our normal historical research for our website and the history tag that comes with each of our shirts.<br />
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Initially, we didn't find much history and thought we might have to be satisfied with the few things we had uncovered. We were disappointed we couldn't find more, but sometimes, without a trip to the local library or historical society of the town the attraction was located in, the trail simply disappears.<br />
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About a month after listing the Aquarama shirt on our website we got an order from a customer in Osage Beach, MO. We hoped that they knew of the Aquarama and that the shirt might bring back a few fond memories for them. A week or so later we got an email from the customer, Janie, letting us know how much she liked the shirt, wondering if we'd have any interest in learning a little more about the Aquarama. Needless to say we were like kids on Christmas morning! Thanks to Janie, the door to the Aquarama had just cracked open for us.<br />
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This was the first of what would become many discoveries as we worked to gather as much history as we could. Janie helped us identify several of the former performers and was the first Aquamaid we interviewed for our blog. That interview led to a comment from Pam, the granddaughter of the couple that built the Aquarama, letting us know we should get in touch with her uncle Marc as he could tell us just about everything we could ever want to know. Marc proved to not only remember just about every detail from the show, but also still had many of the original costumes, cast photos, and even the narration soundtrack from the show. (We bet that at this point we've spent more than 100 hours on the phone with him asking every question you could ever imagine relating to the creation and execution of his family's underwater show.)<br />
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The first task we set for ourselves was to try and learn the names of all the former performers that had worked the show. The next logical step for us was to see how many of them we could locate. This would turn into a seven year quest as we worked our way through every resource available and finally, in April of 2013, we had a great phone conversation with our last-to-be-found Aquamaid. We can vividly recall our first contact with each person - we'll admit it's a lot of fun to call someone out of the blue and say, "Were you by any chance a mermaid at the Aquarama in 1966?" The reactions are something we'll never forget, including those of the people who had no idea what we were talking about.<br />
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Those years have given us great memories of phone calls, emails, shared souvenirs, and meeting the original Aqualad, Marc, and the original Aquamaid, Barbara, as they each passed through Portland, Oregon.<br />
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Meanwhile, while we were looking for everyone, or mermaid wrangling as we liked to think of it, we thought, "Wouldn't it be great if someday there could be a reunion similar to the one held every few years at Weeki Wachee?" After talking about it for a couple of years we decided the time had come. We knew the location needed to be in Osage Beach and began the process of planning it from here in Oregon. Aquamaid Marlen was an invaluable help as was our friend Todd from over at <a href="http://neatocoolville.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Neato Coolville</a>.<br />
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The plan for the reunion was to get as many people together as we could for a Friday night dinner and an all-day picnic on Saturday. Everything came together smoothly and we counted down the days until the event. We kept an eye on the temperature in Osage Beach and things were rolling along in the 70's and 80's until three days before the picnic when we were faced with the one thing we couldn't control - the weather. The day we were flying out to Missouri was spent lining up an indoor venue for the picnic when thankfully Dean at the Tan-Tar-A Lodge came through with a wonderful gathering place. Friday and Saturday ended up being somewhere around 40 degrees so being outside would have been less than ideal for everyone!<br />
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We arrived in Kansas City Thursday morning and headed for the Lake of the Ozarks. The plan was to have dinner with Marc and the original head Aquamaid Barbara that evening to kick off the weekend. While we had been lucky enough to have met both of them previously, Marc and Barbara had not seen each other since the end of the 1964 Aquarama season. It was incredible to see the Matador and the Bull from the 1964 postcard together again after 49 years. Dinner was fantastic, and we have to admit, the margaritas weren't too shabby either.<br />
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Friday's dinner was held at the Blue Room inside the City Grill and the time had arrived to finally meet all of the people we had spoken to on the phone and traded emails with over the years. The room was the perfect setting for everyone to catch up with each other and share memories of the show. We spent most of the evening thinking to ourselves how amazing it was to be sitting at dinner with the people we had only known from photos (that were now over four decades old). One of the highlights of the evening was the wonderful memorial display honoring Marc's parents, Wally and Nola, created by Marc's wife, Ann. The years quickly melted away and three hours seemed to pass in a matter of minutes. The evening ended with countless smiles and hugs and plans to see each other again the next day.<br />
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Saturday found us at the Tan-Tar-A Lodge, which had become the host to our (thankfully now heated and dry) picnic. We brought a selection of the original costumes, played the slideshow from our Aquarama history presentation, and in the background, the music and narration from the 1965 and 1966 Aquarama shows. We had also brought scrapbooks we created containing original cast photos, newspaper clippings and advertisements from the show which we gave to everyone who came. Much of the day was spent signing each other's books, sharing more stories, and posing for photos. Again the hours seemed to rush by. We ended the day trading more stories (and a great beer) with Aquamaid Judy who had made the trip from Texas to attend the reunion.<br />
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Then, in what felt like the blink of an eye, the weekend was over. While we know we'll never have the experience of the 'first-ever" reunion again, we're content in the knowledge that this was just another chapter in the story of the Aquarama...a story, and a group of people, that will always be a part of all of our lives.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOsPOotvPmpmuHBrGyDvjYy60Tzh2GgmcUdwjLIsQs4nmUFMe3LGLSXJ-P38CizIdyGdrx3cpbKfTFkh9cv4Y_fc3vrVq_MRtPXF4Kc6A0uujYQPJX8e9u51xtr2TmP1IUtaeoy8ZZf-_/s1600/marlenmarion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOsPOotvPmpmuHBrGyDvjYy60Tzh2GgmcUdwjLIsQs4nmUFMe3LGLSXJ-P38CizIdyGdrx3cpbKfTFkh9cv4Y_fc3vrVq_MRtPXF4Kc6A0uujYQPJX8e9u51xtr2TmP1IUtaeoy8ZZf-_/s320/marlenmarion.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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This event would not have been possible without the tremendous help of many people. We'd like to thank Marc and Ann for sharing their family's story with us, Janie for finding us and setting this entire experience in motion, Pam for pointing us toward her uncle Marc, Marlen for advice on local gathering spots, Todd for logistical support, Joe and his staff at the City Grill, Dean at the Tan-Tar-A Lodge, Lois at the Scottish Inn, Amy at Subway of Osage Beach, Spree from The Lake Sun News, Barbara from Rural Missouri Magazine and KRCG Channel 13.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2dscy6GhKcRHzwUkMHzUU_FInrpPdvz58hVUb1j4p3xj842_gztwLAuhI8ydUcDzkXbve-lsLu7WKRglFyGFrcr18l7sAHWCFVjp92MNpUqwSwPOO9o0HB7vt857p2gVPuuw0MOZR155/s1600/jkbarb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2dscy6GhKcRHzwUkMHzUU_FInrpPdvz58hVUb1j4p3xj842_gztwLAuhI8ydUcDzkXbve-lsLu7WKRglFyGFrcr18l7sAHWCFVjp92MNpUqwSwPOO9o0HB7vt857p2gVPuuw0MOZR155/s320/jkbarb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In closing, we'd like say thank you to all of the Aquamaids and Aqualads that came to the event and warmly welcomed us to the family: Marc, Barbara, Janie, Quinetta, Judy, Sharon, Art, Daniel, Jim, Liz, Marlen, Marion, Kae, Sandra, Ginger, Wanda and Pam. And to those Aquamaids who couldn't be there - you were all missed tremendously and spoken of fondly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuleRoQUITbMCmphzESU_5An_wm7nYjpeHchknWgKuEL3UkwqYi6zuOzrhFLUkE1o1hvClagFJL4Wl4m_m87oLLsLA3hrVZ4jYMqWqZQajHArjt4VH0IH8ElBksNfG5AcR9Pb-E-18uqO/s1600/marcbarb2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuleRoQUITbMCmphzESU_5An_wm7nYjpeHchknWgKuEL3UkwqYi6zuOzrhFLUkE1o1hvClagFJL4Wl4m_m87oLLsLA3hrVZ4jYMqWqZQajHArjt4VH0IH8ElBksNfG5AcR9Pb-E-18uqO/s320/marcbarb2013.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a>Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-34288376408382786442012-12-04T15:58:00.000-08:002012-12-04T15:58:15.485-08:00Casper's Alligator & Ostrich FarmWe've had quite a few requests for our sold-out Casper's Alligator Farm t-shirt so we decided to reprint it just in time for the holidays. And, to add a new twist, we've decided to print it up on a one-time only Moss Green shirt. We just picked them up from our screenprinter and they turned out amazing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxzKRlQ-5D_OCxon_lraIdguNMHyNt_ecVytplAnLtg75QhfaQtU5zTwcI0KP5Yrx0UobhBPioPuAWOZI_xneRf3z3Faf5hm1Q0NPptN1xDF-gbdA0PUrdhgybDJjvtKzCiQXtKccmylh/s1600/Caspers+Graphic+Men+Green+500+x+500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxzKRlQ-5D_OCxon_lraIdguNMHyNt_ecVytplAnLtg75QhfaQtU5zTwcI0KP5Yrx0UobhBPioPuAWOZI_xneRf3z3Faf5hm1Q0NPptN1xDF-gbdA0PUrdhgybDJjvtKzCiQXtKccmylh/s320/Caspers+Graphic+Men+Green+500+x+500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You can pick one up for yourself or the roadside attraction lover in your life over on our website <a href="https://www3074.ssldomain.com/vintageroadside/ProductDetail.aspx?ID=102&Cat=54" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Here's to alligators,</div>
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Jeff & Kelly</div>
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<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
<br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-25933052385788698102012-11-09T19:12:00.002-08:002012-11-09T19:12:32.988-08:00The Atomic Tunnel comes aliveHave you ever looked at a vintage postcard and wondered what the story was behind it? Who's the person in the photo? How did they end up there? What became of them?<br />
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Being history geeks we end up asking ourselves these questions over and over as we look through the postcards, brochures, newspaper articles and promotional photos we've gathered as research for our line of t-shirts.<br />
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With the release of our <a href="https://www3074.ssldomain.com/vintageroadside/ProductDetail.aspx?ID=101&Cat=54" target="_blank">limited edition Atomic Tunnel t-shirt</a> we decided to dig back into our research and see if we could uncover any new clues to the story behind "Florida's Biggest Little Attraction."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFw56qC4Q77F1eGZRNlwUeR5pyn3K6dHbPwlpFYwh5ysEi-D76bKnTe8vy7_QGoZVxx0T36mxn8T-K-H0fhszG9UxFpbtWeHN8nPz6DyzhOyufbl1mVvHpzq9zGJxJAv7mY2E_9EZmqGGT/s1600/happyshirt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFw56qC4Q77F1eGZRNlwUeR5pyn3K6dHbPwlpFYwh5ysEi-D76bKnTe8vy7_QGoZVxx0T36mxn8T-K-H0fhszG9UxFpbtWeHN8nPz6DyzhOyufbl1mVvHpzq9zGJxJAv7mY2E_9EZmqGGT/s320/happyshirt2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Atomic Tunnel was built by W.R. Johnston and offered guests the chance to see exotic birds, tropical fish, monkeys and the opportunity to be photographed as an Orchid Queen - all while wandering through a circular tunnel pierced with porthole windows.<br />
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In addition to three wonderful brochures, the Tunnel also offered the staple of every roadside attraction - postcards. After several years of research we've come to the conclusion there were a total of three postcards offered in the few short years the Tunnel existed. Our favorite has always been the one showing a woman admiring one of the many orchids on display.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tk5x9eX5PxL8EfcH6ic8q6pb1F0dnBxqfvWM9NpSa9y5IJ7bW0Xus12G6e7WX0WrTrFmaQ7DL9lOglBeN6AD7XkeW2vkDpqEd83AZ6BH7oH2Zq6FtbZFilNSU-iAJvQGIFdss9gFKNNC/s1600/joytunneledit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tk5x9eX5PxL8EfcH6ic8q6pb1F0dnBxqfvWM9NpSa9y5IJ7bW0Xus12G6e7WX0WrTrFmaQ7DL9lOglBeN6AD7XkeW2vkDpqEd83AZ6BH7oH2Zq6FtbZFilNSU-iAJvQGIFdss9gFKNNC/s320/joytunneledit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Over the years we've looked at the card and wondered who she was. Did she work at the Tunnel? Did she have memories of the attraction? And the biggest question of all - was she still out there somewhere?<br />
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All those questions, and more, were answered today in an amazing 90-minute phone call.<br />
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The woman in the photo is Joy, an 87-year-old resident of Daytona Beach, and her appearance in the postcard was her second job as a model. Her first modeling job was appearing in a promotional brochure for the Elena Village Country Club, a post-WWII development in Daytona Beach. That work, which also included her two-year-old son, led to her being asked by a local marketing firm if she would be interested in working with the Atomic Tunnel. She remembers the Tunnel as being quite beautiful, with gorgeous birds and tropical fish, and how wonderful all of the orchids were. When asked about the red sweater she wore she remarked that red always makes her happy...and the one in the photo was very tight! :-) It was also quite an occasion when the photo was featured on the cover of the Sunday supplement that appeared in numerous Florida newspapers in May of 1955.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4dbCZcSxemdyirH_tDPKBDkCfhKqRrsCYSrjPMIaehf3Y2SwToyVKOLlNFsLQgtCUAiju289WrdypduIj9Z_RTng5hzn0Q1xUYJMDQ2kyTBcqj5H7TS_UHqiwNWZeRrt4aDXt6hdzg4O/s1600/happytextedit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4dbCZcSxemdyirH_tDPKBDkCfhKqRrsCYSrjPMIaehf3Y2SwToyVKOLlNFsLQgtCUAiju289WrdypduIj9Z_RTng5hzn0Q1xUYJMDQ2kyTBcqj5H7TS_UHqiwNWZeRrt4aDXt6hdzg4O/s320/happytextedit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We also talked about her family, a little about what we do, and all of those unrelated things you talk about when you meet someone for the first time. It was exciting to discover a shared love of history, of having traveled to some of the same places, and her involvement with the Daytona Beach Red Cross Volunteer Lifeguard reunions.<br />
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But for us the most rewarding part of our conversation is that now, when we look at the postcard, we don't have to wonder who it is - it's our friend Joy. And that's probably a pretty good way to explain why we do what we do.<br />
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a><br />
<br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-59032897532788087552012-10-18T13:16:00.000-07:002012-10-18T13:16:20.633-07:00Limited Edition Munktiki & Jake the Alligator Man t-shirts now available!We've got a couple of great limited edition t-shirts currently available over at the Vintage Roadside website!<br />
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First up is the 2012 Jake the Alligator Man t-shirt. Each year Jake has an amazing Bachelor & Birthday Party up in Long Beach, WA and this is the fourth limited edition t-shirt we've created to honor the birthday boy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvTvOoIyYJJOX_14hkO87wEbE-KOB2OiuvRvH6w3wcT8kg1wAOX6_-ojlkZ9x08zh4Y887BMxiMsdyky47fuSSz8FJwjKDiZygbz_0gKvfQ4qqFxoKx18BIg0L6RcQAS061eaI_nY5Rwt/s1600/Jake+2012_wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvTvOoIyYJJOX_14hkO87wEbE-KOB2OiuvRvH6w3wcT8kg1wAOX6_-ojlkZ9x08zh4Y887BMxiMsdyky47fuSSz8FJwjKDiZygbz_0gKvfQ4qqFxoKx18BIg0L6RcQAS061eaI_nY5Rwt/s320/Jake+2012_wm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We're offering Men's sizes Small - XXL <a href="https://www3074.ssldomain.com/vintageroadside/ProductDetail.aspx?ID=100&Cat=54" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Next up is a limited edition by the masters of the fine art tiki mug - Munktiki! Many of you may be familiar with their mugs but may have missed their limited edition "Skull Ripper" t-shirt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Beqegksuznc3F0XSBtQfCqEIbG0QrBS8HR35QSiZjNM9N10rMyU136q8oRNDe1Dfy9zhQ_LiTXhwk4cXT1xIS-MMDY7J0rsYJMtlURoMe9QoXy4_tX5PznY3lVoT3GzpDIraiKuiECDz/s1600/munktikiskullshirt_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Beqegksuznc3F0XSBtQfCqEIbG0QrBS8HR35QSiZjNM9N10rMyU136q8oRNDe1Dfy9zhQ_LiTXhwk4cXT1xIS-MMDY7J0rsYJMtlURoMe9QoXy4_tX5PznY3lVoT3GzpDIraiKuiECDz/s320/munktikiskullshirt_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Limited to just 36 shirts, we currently have Men's Small - XL available <a href="https://www3074.ssldomain.com/vintageroadside/ProductDetail.aspx?ID=99&Cat=60" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Happy Wednesday!<br />
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a><br />
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<br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-58095435580679113712012-08-30T20:10:00.001-07:002012-08-30T20:10:57.832-07:00Vintage Roadside Recommends: The Eastside Big TomYou know those days where you crave nothing but a real drive in cheeseburger? Not something from a chain, or that fancy "sit down" place, but a burger grilled just for you and, more often than not, with some sort of catchy name that makes it just that much better. And while you're at it you might as well throw in an order of fries and a milkshake, you know, as a way of showing further support for mom & pop businesses. They appreciate it and you'll sleep even better after the meal.<br />
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Here's an example of what we're talking about. Ladies and gentleman exhibit A:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUInZUD0ZaDInK07k936g9wx-GU40O91RZg-Ci4BkhSt3rKCjO_OmCvfTU5VOdzJpRlLJtAvArXOA97-aA3D44gDDckTIFwZp_aEBRjKmveH9t2qA1U2pChhU_eiM7fcX4LfFrhIXm6ttD/s1600/305855_242139115827289_1257051_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUInZUD0ZaDInK07k936g9wx-GU40O91RZg-Ci4BkhSt3rKCjO_OmCvfTU5VOdzJpRlLJtAvArXOA97-aA3D44gDDckTIFwZp_aEBRjKmveH9t2qA1U2pChhU_eiM7fcX4LfFrhIXm6ttD/s320/305855_242139115827289_1257051_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Photo courtesy of Eastside Big Tom</i></div>
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After staring at that photo for days we knew the only way to find out if the food tasted half as good as it looked in the photo was to make the drive up to Olympia, WA and eat at the <a href="http://eastsidebigtom.com/" target="_blank">Eastside Big Tom</a>. So, in the name of research we loaded up the wagon and headed north. 115 miles later we spotted the first Big Tom plywood mascot and we knew we had found the type of place we're always hoping for.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxqsEJ5u58ELtj2nWZNT5SF_fcoAc_eIaVQWRFeMsIccj3gcAfjEmtRoBvpUq-9a1dgfX_ICmMKxh9rkUw-ubViONycL2JkmHe2bj8TL0jF2Fa1oA4lwlZ1dPZOhSXc3XPQCLPmox7ZC0/s1600/bt2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxqsEJ5u58ELtj2nWZNT5SF_fcoAc_eIaVQWRFeMsIccj3gcAfjEmtRoBvpUq-9a1dgfX_ICmMKxh9rkUw-ubViONycL2JkmHe2bj8TL0jF2Fa1oA4lwlZ1dPZOhSXc3XPQCLPmox7ZC0/s320/bt2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Before we talk about the food we wanted to share a bit of the Big Tom history. For us the only thing better than a great roadside business is one with some history behind it and we were lucky enough to hear some of that history from the owner Michael.<br />
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Originally founded in 1948, the Big Tom is the oldest "drive thru" restaurant in Washington state. Here's a look at the original building on the site:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBodJiUqphG02H03tEh6Hgwzxxpi6f_d-e-Ok9ZxrW-iK06pd7Ewalv72zT8SAS45RN-L4D66F0gvIi5IZyG0TGkd9Khwhh-MXAQakC1vZ2se2JMt5VeJRITC-C-pafHzTzve9Jt9AoMhV/s1600/189300_185158631525338_5177693_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBodJiUqphG02H03tEh6Hgwzxxpi6f_d-e-Ok9ZxrW-iK06pd7Ewalv72zT8SAS45RN-L4D66F0gvIi5IZyG0TGkd9Khwhh-MXAQakC1vZ2se2JMt5VeJRITC-C-pafHzTzve9Jt9AoMhV/s320/189300_185158631525338_5177693_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Photo courtesy of Eastside Big Tom</i></div>
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Around 1960 or so the building was upgraded and locals were lining up for the "Big Tom" burger at the Eastside In & Out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqnpPxWfrZANjKU4s_g_9FuwQcpxjeRtxAO_TJ9gTZ6ggUuTXkvS289Os0rISPsuOYFBx7YBysZhFjPJBupqJ6THaSCqQ2-ZvzERAPkTyT1pukdBtxxy0MsaERYjZzmaBb8gTwzX2tgAz/s1600/190070_185158584858676_7405594_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqnpPxWfrZANjKU4s_g_9FuwQcpxjeRtxAO_TJ9gTZ6ggUuTXkvS289Os0rISPsuOYFBx7YBysZhFjPJBupqJ6THaSCqQ2-ZvzERAPkTyT1pukdBtxxy0MsaERYjZzmaBb8gTwzX2tgAz/s320/190070_185158584858676_7405594_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Photo courtesy of Eastside Big Tom</i></div>
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In 1969 the Fritsch family purchased the business (after working there for several years) and a new chapter was born with the Eastside Big Tom. In 2008 Michael Fritsch purchased the business from his parents and has devoted himself to quality food, great customer service and a welcome sense of humor as evidenced by this photo of him gamely posing with our mascot Stinky.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPLPumdwYyfoI5pwRTklKEbwDIf5VsOQncg-2WplAzeWkVDmtqbki4Fl-_hg_Leryes0O0yL8Z14SuNQM74Hf1KYrmsZ7swe1851m7rskQoRm1pdOGiuLY3GZ7eoWxlBnlaziLQfDBBq6/s1600/stinkytom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPLPumdwYyfoI5pwRTklKEbwDIf5VsOQncg-2WplAzeWkVDmtqbki4Fl-_hg_Leryes0O0yL8Z14SuNQM74Hf1KYrmsZ7swe1851m7rskQoRm1pdOGiuLY3GZ7eoWxlBnlaziLQfDBBq6/s320/stinkytom.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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By now you're all asking, "How was the food!?" We're happy to report it was seriously one of the best drive in meals we've ever had. We'd also like to point out the customer service was completely on the ball and the entire place was spotless. And as any local drive in should, they do have their own special ingredient used not only as a dipping sauce, but also as a burger dressing. The name of this wonder ingredient - Goop! We've enjoyed many special sauces over the miles but this one was unlike any we'd had before. Here's a photo of Goop in action (in a Big Tom compostable container none the less):</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijumw9hmH0zDdCL0yhAop4fpK70S22uSGp0fH4fujzkB7atsyziecVktwew3cCNzUetGX_VedrRRqhF2rksevyQ_QrSermCfUTBaYEu_feDsf00DG-LqwNHbCqIU0YwBIRl2xCevN5x5Jb/s1600/312793_251437818230752_1417180153_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijumw9hmH0zDdCL0yhAop4fpK70S22uSGp0fH4fujzkB7atsyziecVktwew3cCNzUetGX_VedrRRqhF2rksevyQ_QrSermCfUTBaYEu_feDsf00DG-LqwNHbCqIU0YwBIRl2xCevN5x5Jb/s320/312793_251437818230752_1417180153_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Photo courtesy of Eastside Big Tom</i></div>
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Another great feature of the Big Tom menu is the amazing selection of milkshakes and malts. We went with the root beer milkshake on our visit and now have plans to work ourselves through the entire menu. We also enjoyed the atmosphere of the place - it felt like a roadside attraction and that's always a good thing!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWysseEvUxtA9QwEL0UXdolYC39uDnJ4k2u7YGvP5BLG0sXXQqyd4oOuckURuyN6lGUK2dYVruDmeSUgGU4R8IxLSC8hi9cH2ZRyRAbGLE6jghoD3NUvADJyHDBZ_e0XoJYZtY0a2llwl/s1600/tom5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWysseEvUxtA9QwEL0UXdolYC39uDnJ4k2u7YGvP5BLG0sXXQqyd4oOuckURuyN6lGUK2dYVruDmeSUgGU4R8IxLSC8hi9cH2ZRyRAbGLE6jghoD3NUvADJyHDBZ_e0XoJYZtY0a2llwl/s320/tom5.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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The Eastside Big Tom is located at 2023 4th Ave East in Olympia, WA. Open 7 days a week, they accept cash or checks only but do have an ATM on site. For all of us who live out of the area, but still enjoy looking at photos of great drive in food presented with a bit of humor, you can become a fan of their Facebook page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eastside-Big-Tom/108108399230362" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Until next time Big Tom...<br />
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a><br />
and<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/VintageRoadside" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside on Facebook</a>Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-87880677810547727112012-07-13T12:00:00.000-07:002012-07-13T12:00:43.583-07:00Jake the Alligator Man - 2012 Limited Edition T-shirtEver been to a birthday party for a real alligator man? Each year a hard-working group of folks in Long Beach, Washington throws an amazing birthday party for everyone's favorite "Half Man - Half Alligator" - Jake. Jake is well-known in the world of roadside attractions, but if you've yet to make his acquaintance you can visit him daily at <a href="http://www.marshsfreemuseum.com/" target="_blank">Marsh's Free Museum</a> - one of our all-time favorite places to spend some time. (Our tip - look for the two-headed calf!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjGn_3HVS758btiakAjewGXTXvMrskjBQKfnCw3uOL3Xkb091qThUmaQhnWzGb2gOblldHUyfV4mBg2rg6c2dguguOv9V9QGtGiK10S8T9zMF0w5loGS4X3_2bz-S7VkHNrrMkbI-qnWC/s1600/jaketweak2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjGn_3HVS758btiakAjewGXTXvMrskjBQKfnCw3uOL3Xkb091qThUmaQhnWzGb2gOblldHUyfV4mBg2rg6c2dguguOv9V9QGtGiK10S8T9zMF0w5loGS4X3_2bz-S7VkHNrrMkbI-qnWC/s320/jaketweak2+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The man of the hour.</i></div>
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This year Jake's annual Bachelor Party will be Friday, August 3rd followed by an all-ages celebration on Saturday, August 4th. There'll be a car show, live music and the always hard-fought battle to become Jake's Bride for the upcoming year! You can find more party info at Jake's birthday website <a href="http://jakethealligatorman.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<i>Mrs. Roadside with the 2011 Bride & Bridesmaid of Jake.</i></div>
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It's been our absolute pleasure the past few years to design the limited edition Jake t-shirt for the party and without further ado offer up this year's design. The theme for the party this year is "Under the Sea" and we decided it was time for Jake to don a little nautical attire. Ahoy Jake!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI79Rtq5ITgllJYDPWwOZB5HVXhHeYbdeGvz7mFjgmzfGWbs-PkqQRu56-SU3BtCPnsZuI141g9CLp9-rqBCf-w2T7o7wTSTy00exvgZ33l0wtvy21zHE9GkknjgQYx9EKOF7Xu9Aw_kQj/s1600/Jake+2012_wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI79Rtq5ITgllJYDPWwOZB5HVXhHeYbdeGvz7mFjgmzfGWbs-PkqQRu56-SU3BtCPnsZuI141g9CLp9-rqBCf-w2T7o7wTSTy00exvgZ33l0wtvy21zHE9GkknjgQYx9EKOF7Xu9Aw_kQj/s320/Jake+2012_wm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Alligator Man overboard!</i></div>
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See you at the beach!<br />
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a>Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-43192029031572010302012-06-21T10:36:00.000-07:002012-06-21T10:36:59.020-07:00Rose City Round-Up 2012Last Saturday was the 5th Rose City Round-Up traditional hot rod show and it was another great show! It was fantastic to have some sun this year, so without further delay here are a few of the things that caught our eye at the show this year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9_vuATd4XuVJkZLesNv-QzIPUyG_Mjd82CnRBRjMA-NG12bIGDIfa-PGfO-J7aC6btZLsxdsXJ0vrUltcebdlbARaOtK2MxgL1beHQiXueAaGVuFdC-FllP7IA2BN9QOdGjREV3Usq7T/s1600/rcrufire2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9_vuATd4XuVJkZLesNv-QzIPUyG_Mjd82CnRBRjMA-NG12bIGDIfa-PGfO-J7aC6btZLsxdsXJ0vrUltcebdlbARaOtK2MxgL1beHQiXueAaGVuFdC-FllP7IA2BN9QOdGjREV3Usq7T/s320/rcrufire2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This weekend we'll be up at the Billetproof show in Chehalis, WA for another round of automotive art!</div>
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Jeff & Kelly</div>
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<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/VintageRoadside" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside on Facebook</a></div>
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<br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-15493216258474360472012-06-05T15:39:00.000-07:002012-06-05T15:41:31.783-07:00Vintage Roadside & Charles Phoenix take Portland by storm!Howdy gang! Things have been jumping and we thought it would be great to catch up with all of you. So, here comes roughly 96 hours, jammed into 10 minutes of reading time. Or 12 minutes if you'd like to leave a comment. :-)<br />
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There were two great events this past weekend here in Portland - both presented by the <a href="http://www.historicpreservationleague.org/" target="_blank">Historic Preservation League of Oregon</a>. Saturday's offering was the "Mid-Century Marvelous Home Tour" highlighting some of the homes built by Robert Rummer in the Bohmann Park neighborhood while Sunday saw the return to Portland of pop culture humorist <a href="http://www.charlesphoenix.com/" target="_blank">Charles Phoenix</a> at the Hollywood Theater.<br />
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As part of Charles' prep for his show he wanted to revisit some of his favorite places & things that you can only find in Portland, as well as visit a few new places. We were thrilled to get to ride along. Without further ado here's some of the things we saw and did over those four days!<br />
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It didn't take long for Charles to start spotting the good stuff. This 1955 Nash was his first stop between the airport and Vintage Roadside HQ.<br />
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Then it was time for a quick "hello" to our Burger Family. Here's Charles giving Mama Burger a friendly pat on the belly.</div>
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Next up was a visit to the Oregon Zoo for a ride on <a href="http://www.oregonzoo.org/visit/washington-park-and-zoo-railway" target="_blank">The Zooliner</a> - a 1958 replica of the General Motors' Aerotrain. We made it just in time for the last ride of the day and it was a wonderful 4-mile trip through Washington Park. If you're in Portland you owe yourself a ride on this great little train!</div>
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After our train ride we were lucky enough to follow the train back into the tunnel and spend some time talking with the gentlemen that care for and operate the zoo's trains. They were incredibly generous with their time and shared some amazing history with us.</div>
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At this point it was time to grab something to eat. Our destination was <a href="http://originaltacohouse.com/" target="_blank">The Original Taco House</a>. The OTH is the sister restaurant to the fondly-remembered Waddles Drive In (which opened in 1938) and lays claim as Portland's first year-round Mexican restaurant. You'll find locations on both NE 82nd (the original location) and also on SE Powell. We chose the Powell location for our visit and thoroughly enjoyed our meal.</div>
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Then it was off for a little exercise to work off dinner. The activity of choice was roller skating at <a href="http://oakspark.com/#" target="_blank">Oaks Park</a>. The rink at The Oaks is the oldest continually operating rink in the United States, and to up the coolness factor, also features a massive Wurlitzer pipe organ. We had planned our visit for a night featuring live organ music and it's hard to describe just how amazing it it when the organ starts playing. Another can't-miss piece of Portland history.</div>
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After spending some time talking with a gentleman who'd been skating at the rink since 1941 it was decided we'd wrap the night up with a look at the incredible Palms Motel neon sign on Interstate Avenue. We've personally photographed this sign hundreds of times and just never get tired of standing underneath it. It's truly a treasure among the neon sign world.</div>
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Day two started off with breakfast at another Portland institution - <a href="http://www.originalpancakehouse.com/" target="_blank">The Original Pancake House</a>. Founded in 1953 by Les Highet and Erma Hueneke, the business has now grown to include 120 franchise locations, including their first-ever Japanese location opening soon. We were asking our server questions about the history and before we knew it both the 2nd and 3rd generation of the family were at our table talking with us! They kindly invited us up to the company offices after our meal to share more of the history and to make sure we had all the information we were looking for. Needless to say they made a fantastic impression. Oh, and the food was incredible...as a matter of fact we've already planned our next meal there!</div>
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Then it was on to "Mission Myrtlewood." Charles had long known of the famous Oregon souvenirs made from Myrtlewood, and knew no trip to Oregon would be complete without taking a piece home. It took a bit of hunting around but we finally found this hazelnut snack set at an antique mall. The Phoenix household will now be graced with a little piece of Oregon.</div>
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Since we were considering this a "road trip" of sorts the idea of eating on any type of schedule goes out the window. Case in point - we had just eaten a huge breakfast about an hour earlier but there was no way we could pass up the 99-year-old soda fountain at Fairley's Pharmacy on NE Sandy. And like on our <a href="http://vintageroadtrip.blogspot.com/2012/04/vintage-roadside-tip-fairleys-pharmacy.html" target="_blank">visit last month</a>, and well, almost every time before, I chose the chocolate malt. </div>
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We spent some time poking around a few antique and vintage stores and then realized...it's National Doughnut Day! In honor of the "holiday" we visited another Portland location now known around the world - Voodoo Doughnuts. If you're in Portland on National Doughnut Day there's really no more perfect place to celebrate all that is doughnut.</div>
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After the Home Tour on Saturday we managed to squeeze in a few more stops. We began at the old McDonald's building on SE Powell. We've not seen it used for anything in the past few years but we're glad it's still there to enjoy. Oh, yes the Camaro was the rental car for the weekend. Guess which of these three words describes the new Camaro: Subtle, Fun, or Roomy? Here's a hint - it's the middle one. :-)</div>
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After some time watching the giant spinning loaf of bread on the Franz Bread building, it was over to the Lloyd Center Mall for a visit to <a href="http://www.carmelcorn.com/index.php" target="_blank">Joe Brown's Carmel Corn</a>. Started in downtown Portland in 1932, closed shortly after WWII, and then revived again in 1960 by Mr. Brown's sister Betty, you can still enjoy a bag or box of carmel corn served from the same location in what was once the country's largest outdoor mall.</div>
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Our final stop of the day was for something Charles is well known for - his incredible suits. We had spoken with him prior to his visit and he asked if we might know of an airbrush artist to create a one-of-a-kind suit highlighting all that is Portland. We just so happened to know two local artists whose airbrush skills have always floored us. We put Charles in touch with Matt Stanger & Ian Pian and the rest is fashion history. </div>
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Here's a look at the suit in all its glory.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Charles' show on Sunday was an absolute home-run and everyone thoroughly enjoyed his personal take on our fair city! </span><span style="text-align: left;">The weekend ended with a large gathering at The Alibi tiki bar and hopes of doing it all again soon.</span></div>
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We'd personally like to encourage anyone that gets the chance to see one of Charles' shows to not miss it. It's not often you can be entertained, educated and left shaking your head all in one amazing evening!</div>
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(All non-watermarked images courtesy of <a href="mailto:pkimfoto@yahoo.com" target="_blank">Peter Kim</a> - photographer.)</div>
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Jeff & Kelly</div>
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<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/VintageRoadside" target="_blank">Vintage Roadside on Facebook</a></div>Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-76634150833992098832012-04-23T22:08:00.000-07:002012-04-23T22:08:36.935-07:00Vintage Roadside Tip - Fairley's Pharmacy & Soda FountainWe wanted to give a tip of the Vintage Roadside cap to a local Portland, OR business that's been a neighborhood institution for 99 years - Fairley's Pharmacy on NE Sandy Blvd.<br />
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In addition to weathering the onslaught of discount chain drug stores, they've also kept a great piece of history alive - an actual working soda fountain! We're talking real ice cream milkshakes and malts that are served up in a tall glass along with that frosty metal can that's become a bit of an endangered species.<br />
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We swung by again today just to make sure the offerings were as good as we remember (it was a tough assignment, but we were thinking of you guys ;-) and are happy to report things are as tasty as ever!<br />
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We recommend the chocolate malt. At $3.25 it's the same price, or less, than most fast food chains. And remember, the can that comes with your first full glass gives you an entire refill.<br />
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And for you phosphate fans out there they offer those too!<br />
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So, if you're in Portland and looking for a bit of nostalgia stop by and grab a seat at the counter!<br />
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<a href="http://www.fairleyspharmacy.com/index.html">Fairley's Pharmacy</a><br />
7206 NE Sandy Blvd<br />
Portland, OR<br />
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Fountain Hours:<br />
M-F 9:00 am - 6:00 pm<br />
Sat. 9:00 am - 3:00 pm<br />
Sun. Closed<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/">Vintage Roadside</a><br />
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<br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-62078832442919378602012-03-19T18:29:00.000-07:002012-03-19T18:29:21.092-07:00Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarama Aquamaid GingerWe're pleased to share another one of our interviews with the former Aquarama Aquamaids. Here's our first visit with one of the performers from the final years of the show which ran from 1964 - 1973.<br />
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We hope you enjoy reading a bit of Ginger's history with the show.<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>:What year did you perform at the Aquarama?<br />
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<b>Ginger</b>: I believe I was 17 years old the year I swam at the Aquarama in 1972 (I think.)<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: 1972 would have been the 9th year of the shows. Were you familiar with the Aquarama before you got the job?<br />
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<b>Ginger</b>: I hadn't heard of the Aquarama. We had just moved to the Lake from California the fall before though.<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Did you have any type of performance experience which helped you land the job?<br />
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<b>Ginger third from left</b>. <i>(Photo courtesy of Nancy)</i></div>
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<b>Ginger</b>: I had no experience but could swim and we all had to try out for the part. Not sure how the girls were picked out, but was glad I got to be one of them!<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Did you have a favorite routine in the show?<br />
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<b>Ginger</b>: My favorite routine was the leopard routine with the bunnies. I drank a soda under the water so was at center stage. I would have people say they didn't believe I did it - I'd tell them to come to the show and see!<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Do you remember any of the other routines?<br />
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<b>Ginger</b>: I remember the acts - I dreamed about them for years. Such a feeling of freedom, like flying!<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: You have to admit it was a pretty special job. Looking back how does it feel to know you had what many people would consider a "dream" job?<br />
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<b>Ginger</b>: Yes, I did have a great summer. I worked as a life guard by day and a mermaid by night. Talk about a Water Dog - although the tan marks got me into some trouble with my night job.<br />
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<b>Ginger (in center) drinking soda.</b> <i>(Photo courtesy of Nancy)</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Before we let you go we've found everyone that performed has at least one funny story from the Aquarama. Do you have one you can share?<br />
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<b>Ginger</b>: Here's one. Where we changed clothes was over the pool on a scaffolding and sometimes it wasn't easy putting on the costume for the second show because it was still wet (and tight.) One night, one of the girls was trying to put on her costume for the second show and fell into the pool - not all the way into her costume! The rest of us were trying to pull her out of the pool before the lights came on. Just as we got her pulled up Mr. W. wanted to know what that was. Apparently part of her body was still in the water! We did get in trouble for cutting up and I'm sure they thought we were cutting up then.<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Thanks so much for sharing a bit of your history with us Ginger!<br />
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<b>Ginger</b>: You're welcome.<br />
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As always, if you've got any Aquarama info or stories we'd love to hear from you here in the comment section!<br />
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Jeff & Kelly<br />
<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/">Vintage Roadside</a>Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-80601205807454146382012-01-03T20:04:00.000-08:002012-01-03T20:04:05.115-08:00Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarena Springs documentarian Bob Phillips - Part 2Here's Part 2 of our interview with Bob talking about his new Aquarena Springs documentary. In case you missed Part 1 you can find it <a href="http://vintageroadtrip.blogspot.com/2011/12/vintage-roadside-visits-aquarena.html">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: We've spent years tracking down the former Aquarama employees. Has it been difficult to find the former Aquarena performers?<br />
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<b>Bob</b>: When I began the Aquarena documentary project back in 2006 my goal was to interview the people I knew that were still around San Marcos. It was somewhat easy for me because I already knew many of the people. The first person interviewed was my step-mother Shirley Rogers, granddaughter of Aquarena Springs developer A.B. Rogers, and daughter of Paul Rogers who continued the dream of his father. Shirley told me about Edwin Cooper, one of the first glass bottom boat drivers from 1946, and the 99-year-old gentleman who told stories about dancing on top of the Aquarena Hotel between 1929 and 1932. I found and interviewed them both.<br />
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Then I met some people I did not know at the 2009 Aquarena reunion. That was a great opportunity to hear stories that took place before I worked there. One of the gentlemen I did not get to interview was a San Marcos native who began working there when he was 12 years old and later became the CEO of Busch Entertainment. He told me he would love to be interviewed, but with so many other people to help tell the story I never did track him down...<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: The reunion sounds wonderful. Any idea how many people came to it?<br />
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<b>Bob</b>: There must have been about 150 people there. I was like a kid in a candy store without enough time to eat it all!<br />
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<i>An Aquarena Mermaid.</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Are there still former employees you'd love to talk with?</div>
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<b>Bob</b>: Yes, if there are folks out there who I did not get a chance to talk to I would love to connect with them to learn more of their stories.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: You put together an amazing archive of film and images for your documentary. How difficult was it to track those down?</div>
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<b>Bob: </b>I spent years collecting the photos and film footage. I first went to the Texas Department of Transportation Tourism Information Division's photo library where I found over 100 great vintage photos. Also, I found great photos at the San Marcos Library and the Texas State University library. Aquarena Springs also had some great video footage. I found some footage online that was shot in the 1960s and contacted that person and got approval to use some of it. Shirley, my step-mother, produced some pure gold with her 16 mm footage that was shot in the 1940s and 1950s. It included great footage of her father and grandfather at the first submarine theater performance as well as her family trip to Florida where her father had gotten some ideas from visits to Weeki Wachee, Silver Springs, and Marine Studios. There was also a film from the 1940s about the town of San Marcos that included the first glass bottom boat.</div>
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A Facebook page was created prior to the Aquarena Reunion in 2009 where I posted a request for images and footage - I got a good response from that, too. Also, the lady who trained Ralph the Swimming Pig had some great video footage as well.</div>
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In the beginning I thought I might not have enough images to back up the interviews, but as the project progressed I ended up way more than I could ever use in a single documentary.</div>
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<i>Ralph enjoys a refreshing beverage</i>.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: How fantastic you were able to gather so much material. It sounds like you won the "Researcher's Lottery"! Any idea just how much material you collected?</div>
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<b>Bob</b>: I collected between two and three hundred photos and about 10 to 15 hours of vintage video and film.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: One of the great images you have is the photo we posted above of Ralph enjoying a meal. We've always been big Ralph fans - can you tell us a bit of his story?</div>
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<b>Bob</b>: Ralph the Swimming Pig was cool. He began swimming in the show about 1956. In the beginning they called the pig Missy, not sure why, just seemed a good name for a pig I guess. Then in the early 1960s, Barbara Backus, the swimmer who was Missy's trainer as well as an Aquamaid, was in the water training a new Missy. Fellow Aquamaid Virgie Sheets was helping Barbara. Virgie just happened to be going through a divorce at the time with her husband Ralph and was telling some stories about it to Barbara. Well, Barbara, for the fun of it started calling the pig she was training Ralph. It became sort of a joke to call that pig and then all the other pigs Ralph. The name stuck and the rest is history!</div>
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Ralph was always a hit in the show and soon began to appear on national television. He became the one thing that people wanted to see when they came to Aquarena Springs - slightly edging out the beautiful mermaids, believe it or not.</div>
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<i>A vintage Aquarena decal spotted in 2011.</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: You recently had a screening of your film at the Texas Music Center in San Marcos. How did the screening go? Did you have a nice turnout?</div>
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<b>Bob</b>: I used the premier as a fund raiser for the San Marcos Heritage Association. They in turn got to use the theater for free and we had over 160 people pay $10 each to attend the premier. We served free popcorn and there was a cash bar. At the end of the movie 90 copies of the documentary were purchased and we ended up raising about $2300 for the Heritage Association. </div>
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The film was shown in High Definition on a 20' by 20' screen and the sound system blew me away. The music that I had heard a million times while editing on my computer sounded so much better on their system. I heard wonderful sound in the music I had not heard before.</div>
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It was surreal sitting in the theater I had grown up watching movies in, with 160 people, most of whom I did not know, quietly watching, laughing, and crying at the documentary I had spent years creating.</div>
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<i>The one, the only, Glurpo!</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Before we ask you about some of the highlights of your film, we have to ask the one question most people ask us. Any idea why Glurpo was so frightening looking in his early costume?</div>
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<b>Bob</b>: Glurpo did start out dressed in an actual clown costume. Early photos (like the one you posted above) show him with a clown mask on, and a very scary one at that. Not sure why they would have a clown in such a scary looking mask, after all this was family entertainment. I'm hoping to hear back from some of the 1950s performers with their thoughts.</div>
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Later Glurpo wore a white swimming cap and a large red nose attached to his faceplate mask. In the late 1960s, the theme of the show was changed to a Polynesian Village and Glurpo became a witch doctor dressed in a grass skirt, beads, and a long-haired black wig.</div>
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<i>Glurpo the Witch Doctor.</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Now that the DVD is available to purchase can you let people know a bit about the finished film?</div>
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<b>Bob</b>: In this 78 minute documentary the story of Aquarena Springs is told by over 30 people I interviewed along with vintage images, film, and video. The people in the documentary are folks who either worked at or visited Aquarena Springs. Viewers will see and hear every aspect of what made Aquarena Springs THE place to take the family for vacation from 1950-1990.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: We've watched the film several times and it's amazing the variety of things you've included. Being fans of old roadside attraction billboards could you list some of the things we'd see on <i>Aquarena and Ralph</i> billboards along the highway?</div>
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<b>Bob</b>: Here's some of what you'll see in the film:</div>
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<li>Beautiful mermaids and aquamaids swimming, performing underwater ballet, eating & drinking underwater - and learn how they did it.</li>
<li>Learn how Glurpo the Clown smoked and blew smoke rings underwater.</li>
<li>How do you teach a pig to swim?</li>
<li>See Ralph the Swimming Pig's "Swine Dive" from above and below the water.</li>
<li>Hear the story about the alligators escaping after the flood of 1970 into the San Marcos River - and how they were rounded up.</li>
<li>See the dancing chicken.</li>
<li>Learn how the world's only Submarine Theater worked and hear what happened when the submarine flipped over during a show with 57 people aboard.</li>
<li>Take a ride on the Von Roll Swiss Skyride across Spring Lake.</li>
<li>Hear about the time Johnny Weissmuller, Tarzan himself, visited the park.</li>
<li>See the 1956 underwater wedding covered by Life Magazine as well as hearing from the best man about what kept the bride's dress from floating over her head.</li>
<li>Much, much more!</li>
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<i>Ralph enjoying the spotlight on To Tell the Truth.</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside</b>: Congratulations, Bob, on creating such a great film. On behalf of Aquarena fans everywhere, thank you for the years you put into this! Where can people order a copy?</div>
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<b>Bob</b>: You're welcome. You can purchase a copy of the DVD for only $19.95 at my website <a href="http://www.aquarenaandralph.com/">here</a>.</div>
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We hope you've enjoyed our talk with Bob and that you'll pick up a copy of his film!</div>
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Jeff & Kelly</div>
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<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
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"Like" us on Facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/VintageRoadside">here</a>!</div>
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<br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-61756406172788296642011-12-29T21:41:00.000-08:002011-12-29T21:41:49.741-08:00Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarena Springs documentarian Bob Phillips - Part 1When we heard a documentary on the history of Aquarena Springs was being created by a former employee we couldn't wait to see the finished project. After spending the past few years researching the history of the Aquarama in Missouri it felt like we had discovered a kindred spirit out there somewhere in the (relatively narrow) field of "people who devote years to the research of defunct mermaid attractions." We'd check online every few months to see if there were any updates on the completion of the film and this fall we saw an announcement for the screening of the film is San Marcos, Texas. Not being able to make it down to Texas for the screening we were pleased to see the film was also being released on DVD.<br />
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<i>Cover of Aquarena brochure</i></div>
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We immediately ordered our copy and sent an email to Mr. Phillips congratulating him on his film. We've been lucky enough to share research with each other and Bob has generously spent time answering our questions. Here's Part 1 of our in-depth conversation with Bob about his project.<br />
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<b>Vintage Roadside: </b>For those not familiar with Aquarena Springs can you give us an overview of some of the different things visitors to the park could enjoy?<br />
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<b>Bob: </b>Aquarena Springs was located on Spring Lake which is the headwater of the spring-fed San Marcos River. Visitors could experience the "World's Only Submarine Theater" where you would be taken underneath the surface of the crystal-clear water to see mermaids and aquamaids (beautiful young ladies) perform underwater ballet, eating and drinking underwater, as well as Glurpo the Underwater Clown who performed underwater antics such as singing, smoking, and blowing smoke rings. All these performers were upstaged by Ralph the Famous Swimming Pig that would capture the hearts of all who saw him with his world-renowned swine dive.<br />
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Glass bottom boats would take visitors across Spring Lake where they could look below the surface at the beautiful plant and animal life as well as the water bubbling up through the limestone sand.<br />
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The Von Roll Swiss Skyride took visitors up over 100' across the lake to the hillside hanging gardens that included the Burleson Log Cabin, Mr. Manley the glass blower, a Mexican paper flower market, the 100-year-old Gristmill that ground corn meal you could purchase, and the Spring House Gift Shop where you could buy rock candy and cheese. Visitors could take the Skyride back or a ferry boat across the lake to Pirates Cove Landing which included a pirate and nautical themed gift shop.<br />
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<i>Interior of Aquarena brochure</i></div>
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The Texana Village was an old western town (think Gunsmoke) complete with San Marcos' original home, a saloon, a barbershop, a general store, farm animals, a blacksmith shop, old carriages, and a beautiful rock and crystal collection. There was also Top Gun - a mechanical cowboy that would challenge you to a gunfight, the dancing chickens, a fire engine bunny, a basketball playing chicken, a piano playing duck and chicken, and the chicken that would challenge you to a game of tic-tac-toe - and beat you every time! There were even 20 live alligators you could see.</div>
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The gift shops were wonderful and sold all the stuff tourists love like Aquarena-branded shot glasses, rubber snakes, Davy Crockett coonskin hats, and Ralph the Swimming Pig t-shirts.</div>
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The Aquarena Springs Hotel was opened way back in 1929. It had about thirty rooms and sat right on the headwaters of the San Marcos River. You could sit on your second story balcony and see the fish swimming in the crystal clear water.</div>
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<i>Visitors head into the original Submarine Theater</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside: </b>It's incredible just how much there was to do there. We want to ask you more about Ralph and Glurpo, but before we get to that we'd like to hear about your connection with Aquarena Springs. Your family has a very deep history with the park. Can you tell us a bit about that?</div>
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<b>Bob: </b>My family history at the park began when my older brother Bill worked there for one summer when he was 12 years old (about 1960). I followed in his footsteps when I turned 12 in 1962 doing the same job he had done, which was sweeping up cigarette butts in the parking lot and placing bumper stickers on people's cars. We were called "Butt Boys". We actually had to go up to each car that entered the parking lot and ask the driver if they wanted a free Aquarena Springs sticker on their bumper. It was an inexpensive advertising ploy. Of course we wanted everyone to say yes but many didn't, and some weren't very nice about it. That was a tough job for a shy 12 year old. I seriously think this is where I learned the important lesson of how to overcome rejection.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside:</b> What kind of money did you make out there in the parking lot? </div>
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<b>Bob:</b> The pay was a handsome 25 cents per hour, two dollars for 8 hours of work. The first few days on the job I ate lunch in the Aquarena Restaurant, but ended up spending a whole day's pay. Later, I started bringing my sack lunch (figuring that it was better for my parents to pick up the tab) allowing me to save some serious spending money. Being in South Texas in the summer on a blacktop parking lot got pretty hot and I would spend as much time as I could under the largest shade tree out there. There were about 4 or 5 of us San Marcos youngsters working at the same time and instead of spreading ourselves out over the parking lot as we were instructed by our boss we would all end up under the same shade tree telling stories. The boss would come out and tell us to spread out and it worked - for about 20 minutes. It could get lonely out there.</div>
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One day in August I had had enough and decided to quit, so I did. I went home and relaxed until my dad got home from work. He asked me how my day went and I told him I quit. He said "You what? You know they expected you to work until Labor Day." The next morning he took me back to Aquarena (this was very embarrassing for me, of course) and found the owner and general manager in the coffee shop, walked me up to them and said (without asking me) that Bob would be happy to come back to work and finish out the summer. Thank goodness they told my dad that was ok, they had enough help and did not need me to come back. Whew, that was a close call. </div>
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<i>An Aquarena Aquamaid performing</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside: </b>What a great story! That must have been mortifying as a 12 year old. Did you go back to Aquarena that next summer?</div>
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<b>Bob: </b>No, the next summer (1963) I worked for my dad at his Mobile Oil business helping him fill up his huge gasoline truck that would transport hundreds of gallons of gasoline to the local retail gas stations. </div>
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In 1964 my father sold his business and Aquarena offered him a job as assistant manager. So that summer I went back to work at Aquarena, but this time as the boss' son which wasn't that wonderful because now I had to set an example of being a good worker - no more goofing off. My job was upgraded from "Parking Lot Butt Boy" to "Inside Park Butt Boy" which included cleaning out the Submarine Theater between shows. I loved this because the submarine was air-conditioned and I got to help take tickets for the next show which allowed me to legally linger around in the shade until the next show started. </div>
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I later became a glass bottom boat driver, underwater gardener, and swam as Glurpo the Underwater Clown. Being in that 72 degree crystal clear water was like being in Heaven. I worked there until I graduated from the local university, Southwest Texas State in 1972.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside: </b>Did you father continue to advance with the Park?</div>
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<b>Bob: </b>He did.<b> </b>He later became manager and then president and general manager of Aquarena Springs. He then went on to become a popular leader in the Texas tourism industry by becoming the chairman of the Discover Texas Association and chairman of the Governor's Texas State Tourist Development Agency - the agency that promoted Texas to the rest of the world. He was well liked by everyone who knew him. He was warm, friendly, and had an unbelievable sense of humor - everyone loved my dad.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside:</b> Did any of your other family members work at Aquarena?</div>
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<b>Bob:</b> My grandfather W.G. Phillips worked there in the Texana Village in the mid-1970s. His job was to hang out in the general store and visit with the public and tell the younger folks stories about the early 1900s.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFVLZaww02Owlt5bqSWpxuAFzmcTccio6eJi1Ib2xCyA3x8zbSIH0Bm7cHcXSQTbjlHEIZZAOODnOlPwoXohu6YQsE_7nFRrzaHcnUyLhx5fnRZXN2U11e9M7evd6X2UNggjqC0GuhXTr/s1600/renablog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFVLZaww02Owlt5bqSWpxuAFzmcTccio6eJi1Ib2xCyA3x8zbSIH0Bm7cHcXSQTbjlHEIZZAOODnOlPwoXohu6YQsE_7nFRrzaHcnUyLhx5fnRZXN2U11e9M7evd6X2UNggjqC0GuhXTr/s320/renablog1.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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<i>Newspaper clipping showing Bob with 2 co-workers</i></div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside: </b>Now, you ended up being related to the Aquarena founding family didn't you?</div>
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<b>Bob:</b> I did. My mother passed away in 1974 and my dad later married the daughter of the founder of Aquarena Springs, Shirley Rogers. The family sold the park around 1985 to a group of investors who continued operating the park as best they could until 1994 when they sold it to Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University). </div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside:</b> The University didn't operate the park much longer did they?</div>
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<b>Bob: </b>Two years later in 1996 they decided to close the park - except for the glass bottom boats. Their goal is to use the area as more of a learning experience about the importance of the springs and the endangered species that are in the lake.</div>
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Currently the park is being torn down and brought back to its original environment - turning it back into an aquatic ecosystem. The springs have never stopped flowing for thousands of years and the site is known as one of the longest continually inhabited areas in the northern hemisphere. The glass bottom boats will still operate.</div>
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<b>Vintage Roadside:</b> Aside from your family history with the park, what were some of the other reasons you felt it was important to make this film?</div>
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<b>Bob:</b> I had such a wonderful experience and fond memories working at this beautiful place and I know that anyone who ever visited or worked at Aquarena Springs had the same feeling. They knew it was a magical place. I felt it was important to keep the stories and memories of Aquarena Springs alive for the millions of folks who interacted with it.</div>
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We hope you're enjoying our interview with Bob and learning about his unique history with Aquarena Springs. Join us for Part 2 where we'll talk about how he researched his film, compiled materials, and what you can expect to see on the DVD. </div>
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Here's a trailer for the film:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/krsMUmgwEys?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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Jeff & Kelly</div>
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<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
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<br />Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246917444733853754.post-9499037569161568182011-12-17T10:52:00.000-08:002011-12-17T12:50:09.139-08:00Vintage Roadside to debut all-new presentation at Modernism Week 2012!We've got exciting news to share here at Vintage Roadside - we'll be giving an official <a href="http://www.modernismweek.com/">Modernism Week</a> 2012 presentation on February 24th, 2012! We're debuting an all-new presentation called "Mid-Century Mermaids: A History" in which we share the stories and people behind a true 1960s phenomenon - the Live Mermaid show. Tickets are now available <a href="http://www.ticketderby.com/event/aquarama-id-6166">here</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ElsyZ9uw6qQTO1j8rkP9WltyCdVOF351BmrFM3yzWb4eQehT4MxkTb4DPnLmWDNRjaiN775si8qVfqhsajX0Ai9NGEnMrIzfwU4LIx72k5dMpfXyz2Rd5iydBRNPHlb8cJTJ7tfIVmVb/s1600/psmerframe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ElsyZ9uw6qQTO1j8rkP9WltyCdVOF351BmrFM3yzWb4eQehT4MxkTb4DPnLmWDNRjaiN775si8qVfqhsajX0Ai9NGEnMrIzfwU4LIx72k5dMpfXyz2Rd5iydBRNPHlb8cJTJ7tfIVmVb/s320/psmerframe.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
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Oh, did we mention that we'll have a live mermaid performing in the Ace Hotel pool? That's right, the world famous Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid will be joining us for our presentation with a one-of-a-kind performance in the hotel pool - a true Modernism Week first! So, for all of you who wished you could make it to Florida to see Marina we proudly present the opportunity to see her in the desert for the first time ever.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikamYVVTrukxcwwqHqrcSYgozB0VOVK3m22m6OInBQCbLV85QIt5LdALCOy8-REsD3INpIdMEFhchuKwF4C0x1l9JW3l6xvNeMaQk8yW06pMTts9sWuJj_Nu1ZZkuPCcvnpMytbRkf_Ogm/s1600/marina+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikamYVVTrukxcwwqHqrcSYgozB0VOVK3m22m6OInBQCbLV85QIt5LdALCOy8-REsD3INpIdMEFhchuKwF4C0x1l9JW3l6xvNeMaQk8yW06pMTts9sWuJj_Nu1ZZkuPCcvnpMytbRkf_Ogm/s320/marina+white.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Some of what you'll see in our all-new presentation includes vintage home movies from defunct mermaid attractions, archival photos from numerous sources not seen in decades, first-hand accounts from several former mermaids & performers, a selection of vintage mermaid tails, swimsuits and costumes (many of which were assumed to have been lost), a selection of current mermaid tails, and much more!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX-LQEuS-tw3sMrqcuyeK6HpOP4kj1WjEJcS6Kib0EuNOyDHvY5iE8-th3njs81WseaZ6UD60T7Nq0Gdgicn470JGZq4lAVODnvtRMSCz76KzYFV72SVVLMPz9peixUN_93c0K0iLGZky/s1600/psbloga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX-LQEuS-tw3sMrqcuyeK6HpOP4kj1WjEJcS6Kib0EuNOyDHvY5iE8-th3njs81WseaZ6UD60T7Nq0Gdgicn470JGZq4lAVODnvtRMSCz76KzYFV72SVVLMPz9peixUN_93c0K0iLGZky/s320/psbloga.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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We'll also take you back to the days of the assorted aquatic shows that paved the way for the mermaid attraction of the 1960s. We've got Aquacades, Aqua Spectaculars, Aqua Follies, Aqua Frolics, stories of a famous movie star swimming around without his suit, and more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC3uTD_Dp9JJ7KpXnc4Ibbw5UE5OEF2U_RzYGs4fGOq6NS7pmaFk89dpHO4aPUMw01KqgVLYV_hDGCFqlqGVyzfrxORfk7vwQslhcg1BSvZSAHMEEO3id6kHr61QgcXgBSHXqhbwBNZp7/s1600/psblogb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC3uTD_Dp9JJ7KpXnc4Ibbw5UE5OEF2U_RzYGs4fGOq6NS7pmaFk89dpHO4aPUMw01KqgVLYV_hDGCFqlqGVyzfrxORfk7vwQslhcg1BSvZSAHMEEO3id6kHr61QgcXgBSHXqhbwBNZp7/s320/psblogb.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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We'll cover the 1950s which saw the heyday of the Porthole Lounge in some of the swankiest hotels in the country. Places like the Wreck Lounge, the Mermaid Room, the Jules Verne Room, Davy Jones Locker & more. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmZtVUT-oTCNFuHEOCMcbRLFSE48znXbXRJ5lbccS7dYJgHA_H116oB6YN-BB5hvh_LhfotqVc4FEbS5yGEhXtK-96IPjuMMc7BZwao845d9Pe6COxBCzlZZPnsgkSrJoS0VWdZCcL82X/s1600/psblogc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmZtVUT-oTCNFuHEOCMcbRLFSE48znXbXRJ5lbccS7dYJgHA_H116oB6YN-BB5hvh_LhfotqVc4FEbS5yGEhXtK-96IPjuMMc7BZwao845d9Pe6COxBCzlZZPnsgkSrJoS0VWdZCcL82X/s320/psblogc.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
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The 1960s were the high point of the mermaid attraction. We'll highlight Weeki Wachee in Florida, Aquarama in Missouri, Aquarena Springs in Texas as well as places like Marineland and even Disneyland which featured mermaids to bring in the guests. And for those looking for a little adult history we'll let you in on the secret of which hotel featured topless midnight mermaid performances.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PH32_1bzcXloUEygoOaA6Y-KDp760fUD-vZQgp8HbFytQENyIjxcSkjHzZbTATu-4cB-Eh95DiRnBX4MnUUK40PISxJcISK7sz__rTyUgRwUjWGgyJi8fjrUBkd0FN48pFofvlmXZmoW/s1600/psblogd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PH32_1bzcXloUEygoOaA6Y-KDp760fUD-vZQgp8HbFytQENyIjxcSkjHzZbTATu-4cB-Eh95DiRnBX4MnUUK40PISxJcISK7sz__rTyUgRwUjWGgyJi8fjrUBkd0FN48pFofvlmXZmoW/s320/psblogd.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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Before moving outside for our live mermaid performance we'll wrap things up with a list of places you can still catch a mermaid show such as a 1960s motor lodge in Montana.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPWyEnwWGVPylQ_NsZMZVDC_uYIxXOwIYJ8zXxJRMZ_EsFSuZhqglrVi_2eAN0eQPoNkcvF0O9SMtBN6WixUCLflYqQ3fSlTKO1POSywniNoPytO_MwMwq5QB0aGnF9Avu1FZB-kud3MZ/s1600/psblogf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPWyEnwWGVPylQ_NsZMZVDC_uYIxXOwIYJ8zXxJRMZ_EsFSuZhqglrVi_2eAN0eQPoNkcvF0O9SMtBN6WixUCLflYqQ3fSlTKO1POSywniNoPytO_MwMwq5QB0aGnF9Avu1FZB-kud3MZ/s320/psblogf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We've been working for years to put all this together and can't wait to share what we've discovered...looking forward to seeing you in Palm Springs!</div>
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Don't forget to pick up your tickets <a href="http://www.ticketderby.com/event/aquarama-id-6166">here</a>.</div>
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You can also learn more by clicking the "Events" tab at our Facebook page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/VintageRoadside">here</a>. </div>
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Jeff & Kelly</div>
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<a href="http://www.vintageroadside.com/">Vintage Roadside</a></div>
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<br /></div>Vintage Roadsidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13932230703291898389noreply@blogger.com3