Vintage Roadside™ - the blog

Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarena Springs documentarian Bob Phillips - Part 2

2012-01-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Here'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 here.

Vintage Roadside: We've spent years tracking down the former Aquarama employees. Has it been difficult to find the former Aquarena performers?

Bob: 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.

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...

Vintage Roadside: The reunion sounds wonderful. Any idea how many people came to it?

Bob: There must have been about 150 people there. I was like a kid in a candy store without enough time to eat it all!

An Aquarena Mermaid.

Vintage Roadside: Are there still former employees you'd love to talk with?

Bob: 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.

Vintage Roadside: You put together an amazing archive of film and images for your documentary. How difficult was it to track those down?

Bob: 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.

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.

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.

Ralph enjoys a refreshing beverage.

Vintage Roadside: 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?

Bob: I collected between two and three hundred photos and about 10 to 15 hours of vintage video and film.

Vintage Roadside: 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?

Bob: 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!

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.

A vintage Aquarena decal spotted in 2011.

Vintage Roadside: 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?

Bob: 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.

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.

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.

The one, the only, Glurpo!

Vintage Roadside: 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?

Bob: 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.

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.

Glurpo the Witch Doctor.

Vintage Roadside: Now that the DVD is available to purchase can you let people know a bit about the finished film?

Bob: 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.

Vintage Roadside: 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 Aquarena and Ralph billboards along the highway?

Bob: Here's some of what you'll see in the film:

Beautiful mermaids and aquamaids swimming, performing underwater ballet, eating & drinking underwater - and learn how they did it.
Learn how Glurpo the Clown smoked and blew smoke rings underwater.
How do you teach a pig to swim?
See Ralph the Swimming Pig's "Swine Dive" from above and below the water.
Hear the story about the alligators escaping after the flood of 1970 into the San Marcos River - and how they were rounded up.
See the dancing chicken.
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.
Take a ride on the Von Roll Swiss Skyride across Spring Lake.
Hear about the time Johnny Weissmuller, Tarzan himself, visited the park.
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.
Much, much more!

Ralph enjoying the spotlight on To Tell the Truth.

Vintage Roadside: 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?

Bob: You're welcome. You can purchase a copy of the DVD for only $19.95 at my website here.

We hope you've enjoyed our talk with Bob and that you'll pick up a copy of his film!

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

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Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarena Springs documentarian Bob Phillips - Part 1

2011-12-29T21:41:00.000-08:00

When 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.

Cover of Aquarena brochure

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.

Vintage Roadside: 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?

Bob: 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.

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.

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.

Interior of Aquarena brochure

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.

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.

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.

Visitors head into the original Submarine Theater

Vintage Roadside: 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?

Bob: 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.

Vintage Roadside: What kind of money did you make out there in the parking lot?

Bob: 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.

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.

An Aquarena Aquamaid performing

Vintage Roadside: What a great story! That must have been mortifying as a 12 year old. Did you go back to Aquarena that next summer?

Bob: 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.

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.

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.

Vintage Roadside: Did you father continue to advance with the Park?

Bob: He did. 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.

Vintage Roadside: Did any of your other family members work at Aquarena?

Bob: 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.

Newspaper clipping showing Bob with 2 co-workers

Vintage Roadside: Now, you ended up being related to the Aquarena founding family didn't you?

Bob: 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).

Vintage Roadside: The University didn't operate the park much longer did they?

Bob: 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.

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.

Vintage Roadside: Aside from your family history with the park, what were some of the other reasons you felt it was important to make this film?

Bob: 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.

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.

Here's a trailer for the film:

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside to debut all-new presentation at Modernism Week 2012!

2011-12-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

We've got exciting news to share here at Vintage Roadside - we'll be giving an official Modernism Week 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 here!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Don't forget to pick up your tickets here.

You can also learn more by clicking the "Events" tab at our Facebook page here.

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid Part 2

2011-11-08T21:38:00.000-08:00

Here's part 2 of our talk with pink gorilla suit-clad Marina...we promise you'll see that gorilla suit before we wrap up the interview!

Vintage Roadside: How do you train for your performances? Do you follow a fairly strict workout schedule and diet?

Marina: I train constantly - 6 days a week. Long distance runs, weight work, lap swims (underwater and surface) and dance, both performances and training.

Vintage Roadside: Followup question in regards to all that training - favorite "forbidden" food?

Marina: My fave "forbidden" food has got to be pizza. I only indulge in a slice after doing an "ultra swim" performance (2 hours or more) or after a half marathon.

Vintage Roadside: Well, we're going to consider this an "ultra interview" and raise a slice of pizza in your honor tonight.

Marina: Ha!

Vintage Roadside: Who designs and produces your costumes?

Marina: I do it all myself. I have specific needs with the costuming. I don't wish for it to appear too "realistic" as I'm trying to depict "Glamour Girls" rather than "fish". They also must be very hydrodynamic to allow for proper underwater maneuvers.

Vintage Roadside: You've got quite a wide & talented fan base. Aren't you even a character in a new graphic novel?

Marina: Yes!! There are so many amazing people I have worked with. They call themselves "MeduSirenaphiles" - entertainers, artists, singers...whoa. I'm fascinated with all the different depictions that have arisen - Hawaiian artist THOR has placed me in several pieces, Jolyon Yates has designed some great movie inspired t-shirts with my image, Fez-o-rama even has a MeduSirena fez, and many more great artists continue to floor me! To top it all off - Aaah! - I was the model for a character in Jim Balent's "Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose" #70 & #71. This is a tremendous honor as I've been a fan of his work for a long time! I would have never thought 17 years ago that I would be appearing on BOTH covers! I'm still pinching myself over that one...

Vintage Roadside: You've performed in some pretty amazing settings. What's the "dream" list looking like?

Marina: To swim for Esther Williams...sigh...to visit and perform at aquatic attractions all over the world and meet more aquatic performers, to share my knowledge and teach future performers in the MeduSirena style of swimming. Also to see more porthole pool attractions emerge, and to continue to dance underwater.

Vintage Roadside: Have you gotten just about everything that can go wrong with a performance conquered at this point?

Marina: Wardrobe malfunctions are seldom too problematic (part of the training is to learn how to handle those) so besides really bad water conditions, or no lighting (hard to swim in the dark!) things are pretty well under control...but that could change at any time!

Vintage Roadside: We've always wondered - is there any magic to keeping the tail on?

Marina: Nope. It fits like a sausage casing - the tighter the better!

Vintage Roadside: Ok, let's change gears a bit. We're headed out on a road trip together, let's say to the Sip 'n Dip in Montana, and we let you pick the first 5 songs to play in the car. Go!

Marina: "Out on the Tiles" by Led Zeppelin, "Rainbow's End" by Iron Maiden, "I'm In Love with My Car" by Queen, "Kings of the Wild Frontier" by Adam & the Ants, and "Tu Boquita" by Iris Chacon. Really, there are too many to single out, I just threw out the first few that popped to mind - there are TONS more!

Vintage Roadside: We know you just got back from California where you performed with the Tikiyaki Orchestra, but what was the last road trip you took?

Marina: The Florida Keys. Go there as often as possible.

Vintage Roadside: Any parting words of wisdom?

Marina: Maintain discipline, originality, honesty, service, appreciation, and be in the moment. Always remember and acknowledge the trailblazers, thank your inspirations and mentors - it does mean a lot to them, and that your body can do A LOT more than you think.

I sincerely hope to see this art form again establish itself and go beyond just being seen as a "Mermaid" trend. To watch someone be athletic and fluid in an underwater environment is truly a sight to behold, and fortunately also a wonderful celebration of that the human body is capable of. I'll continue to perform for as long as my body allows and to continue to teach (with great honor) those future aspiring performers for as long as they're willing to allow me the privilege. Mahalo.

Vintage Roadside: Thanks Marina, we appreciate you spending some time with us, and most importantly for all you're doing to keep this type of performance alive!

Marina: You are most welcome!

To learn more about Marina and all she's doing be sure and visit her website here and "Like" her Facebook here. We guarantee never a dull moment!

We'll leave you with this somber video we shot with Marina one afternoon. ;-)

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside
And, you can Like our Facebook page here (now with 40% more flavor)

NBC and Grimm restore a classic Portland neon sign

2011-11-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know one of Portland's most well-known neon signs is lit once again for the first time since 1974!

The Oregon Leather Company sign in downtown Portland has long been one of our favorites and one we've always feared we'd never see lit again. Thanks to NBC and their series Grimm (which films around Portland) the sign is once again lighting up the corner of Second & Couch. We can't wait to spot the sign in an upcoming episode!

We spoke with a gentleman involved with the series and he was almost as thrilled as we were to have the sign working again. He mentioned that since filming often takes up on-street parking for blocks, and even closes streets at times, it felt great to give something back to the neighborhood.

Here's how the sign has looked the last 37 years:

On the off-chance someone at NBC ever runs across this post please know how much we, as well as fans of vintage neon signs around the world, appreciate what you've done. Thanks!!

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid Part 1

2011-11-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

We recently caught up with someone we've long considered an honorary member of the Vintage Roadside family - the one and only Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid!

We've given presentations together on the history of mermaid and aquatic attractions at Tiki Oasis and The Hukilau and will be teaming up again for an all-new extravaganza for Modernism Week 2012. If you've ever wanted to see a comprehensive history of mermaid shows, along with vintage costumes used in those shows, vintage home movies, over 100 vintage images, followed by a finale that includes a live mermaid and fire eating performance, you'll want to be in Palm Springs on February 24th, 2012. Here's a link to tickets for this Palm Springs first.

Before we begin we would like to point out that this was the very first time we've interviewed someone wearing a bright pink gorilla costume.

Vintage Roadside: Howdy Marina! So, "Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid" - some people might not know it, but that's just one part of what you do. Can you share some of the other aspects of your professional life?

Marina: Hi Jeff & Kelly! Ah, at the risk of sounding Munchausien - here goes. I'm a licensed pilot, marine biology and physiology major, Polynesian dancer, Middle Eastern dancer, fire performer, Wadaiko (Taiko) drummer, juggler, a former yoga & kickboxing instructor, vet tech, firefighter, EMT, & zookeeper (specializing in reptiles, primates, and bats) all of which have helped in my performances in one aspect or another. My performances include: fire eating, knife juggling, laying on a bed of nails, balancing on a ladder of swords, dancing on broken plates...whew! I know I missed a few other things...I still continue to train in all sorts of different disciplines to help enhance my work. As Eartha Kitt once said: "I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma."

Vintage Roadside: Wow! We're ready for a 3-day weekend to rest up after thinking about all of that. That's amazing. We've really enjoyed teaming up with you for several presentation on the history of aquatic shows. Could you tell us a bit about your favorite aquatic acts from the past?

Marina: I'm absolutely fascinated by Aquacades and the underwater shows that were put on during tourism's golden age. Back then, porthole underwater views were a lot more common and swim/dive shows would take place in many pools & even restaurants. Some shows even traveled. The idea of sitting and enjoying your dinner & cocktails while entertained by a beautiful swimmer as she dances underwater behind glass just floors me. I'm doing everything I can to make it possible for us to relive that experience.

Vintage Roadside: We love the old Aquacade shows too. Billy Rose, Sam Howard, etc. We also really enjoy talking with the people who performed at the old attractions. Have you been lucky enough to spend any time with the performers from the past?

Marina: Yes indeed! I sometimes have the honor of performing for them. They'll come up and tell me what they've done and I'll just flip to learn they were in an aquashow, or Weeki Wachee in the early years, performed underwater for an old television series, or at an attraction that no longer exists. Most seem surprised at my enthusiasm at meeting them! After so many years of it not being noticed here's a gal in a pool jumping up & down in a tail (or whatever I'm wearing at the moment) to hear more...gosh...I could listen to those stories for hours!

Vintage Roadside: We know exactly what you mean. We love hearing from them, and doing what we can to share some of their individual history. So, with that said, who are some of your inspirations?

Marina: Easy - Newt Perry, Ricou Browning, Esther Williams, Annette Kellerman, Eartha Kitt, Bruce Lee, Freddy Mercury, Ginger Stanley Hallowell, Iris Chacon, Dame Shirley Bassey, pioneer scuba diver & aqua performer, Zale Parry...just to name a few.

Vintage Roadside: Let's jump to the present and hear how that ties into a piece of history. You perform (along with your Pod) every Friday at a place with some amazing history - The Wreck Bar. Tell us a bit of the history behind The Wreck.

Marina: The Wreck Bar is a Porthole Bar located inside the Yankee Clipper Hotel which is located in Fort Lauderdale. The $1.5 million dollar hotel opened in 1956 and was built to resemble an ocean liner. The hotel was quite popular, not only due to the Wreck Bar, but also for their Polynesian Revue (pre-Mai-Kai) and became even more popular when NBC broadcast its noon and evening news from a studio on the 7th floor of the Yankee Clipper! The Wreck Bar, which was built to look like the inside of a sunken Spanish galleon, was quite large - sporting seven windows which surrounded the back of the bar. There were tables, too, as well as a stage and aquariums to enhance the underwater experience. Entertainment ranging from live music to comedy acts would take place inside along with the aquatic shows. The location has been used in television shows and films such as "Where the Boys Are", and more recently "Analyze This".

Here's a video we shot at one of Marina's Wreck Bar performances in June 2011

Vintage Roadside: We know The Wreck went several years without "Mermaid" shows. How were you able to convince them there was still an audience for them?

Marina: It was not easy. I had approached them five years ago and suggested the idea after noticing that the bar was practically forgotten by the locals and - GASP! - empty!!! They weren't too keen on the idea at first, though they humored me with an audition. Afterward when I wrote them and asked them how they liked it they mentioned not being interested...BUT they did say I could come and use the pool to practice anytime I wanted. Soooo...I did, every week...with full makeup and "fishtail". One month later the bar began to fill up...in two months the press started to take interest and the fan base began to develop...by month three I was "hired" by the hotel. MeduSirena Swim Shows have been going ever since.

Vintage Roadside: When you perform with your pod do you have choreographed routines?

Marina: There are very few traditionally choreographed movements. Since it's a bar I wanted to keep the shows organic - more like watching a fish in a tank rather than a "stage show". That way people who return will see something different each time. There are some set pieces, opening line-up for example, or the finale. There are skits that are rehearsed too. But, for the most part, I direct as it goes, kinda like an auctioneer deploying the MeduSirena Pod of "Aquaticats" (my title for my performers) at a steady clip. We don't have air hoses, and the pool is chlorinated (our eyes will burn out after an extended period underwater) so timing is definitely of great importance.

Photo by Rick Kilby

We hope you're enjoying our visit with Marina. We'll be back mid-week with Part 2. If you can't wait you can visit Marina's website here or her Facebook page here.

And, as always you can find us hanging around our website and Facebook page.

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside Visits: Go-Go Amy Part 2

2011-10-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

Here comes part 2 of our interview with Go-Go Amy! So, grab your beverage of choice and let's talk about truck stops, ramen noodles, the pain of sleeping in your pasties, and why we think Amy won't lack for home cooked meals much longer.

Vintage Roadside: You do all of the booking and promotion for your tours. That seems like a gigantic task! As you tour more has it gotten easier to find venues?

Go-Go Amy: Gigantic is an understatement. When I started the show I had no idea how to book a show or run a tour so I faked it and tried to pick up everything as I went along. The first 2 years were really hard, but as our tour dates started adding up the show got better. We started gaining a good reputation with the venues and as I learned from my mistakes it did get better. At first, it was like fighting a room full of wild animals while blindfolded. Now the blindfold is off, but the wild animals are still attacking. It's still hard to string together enough shows to have a good tour but at least now I know what I'm up against.

Vintage Roadside: Your tours always include a mix of burlesque and sideshow. Have you always been a fan of classic sideshow entertainment?

Go-Go Amy: I've always been a theater geek. I grew up in the NYC area and loved going to see Broadway shows with my parents. (A love that's still very much alive - we're going out to see the Follies tomorrow night!) I seemed to gravitate towards the 1920-40's style shows with more of a vaudeville theme. That's why we define our show as "Broadville" - a combo of Broadway and Vaudeville. I didn't know much about sideshow until I started performing with the Brothers Grim but I absolutely fell in love with it. I've always loved the touring lifestyle and my want to go out on the road has as much to do with putting this show together as my love for life in front of the footlights.

Vintage Roadside: We follow you on Twitter, and being veterans of many road trips always enjoy your updates from the road. Any idea how many miles you've traveled in that RV?

Go-Go Amy: If miles were Playboy bunnies my odometer would have seen more of them than Hugh Hefner and an army of rock stars...combined! We're on our 8th national tour right now, and thanks to Johnny Coconutz (our roadie and mechanic) and some amazingly dumb luck, we're still going strong. One day I'd like to upgrade to a nicer bus but we've got to stick to the "Shasta" till we start pulling in some more money.

Vintage Roadside: Follow-up road trip question - favorite road food?

Go-Go Amy: My tour food consists of creamy chicken-flavored ramen noodles, rice in a microwaveable bag with canned veggies and canned salmon, or carrot sticks and hummus. But my favorite on the road food is when we're lucky enough to roll into a town where we have friends or family and can get a home cooked meal. I'm a microwave gourmet, but I prefer to eat something that doesn't come with a "flavor" packet whenever possible.

Future Vintage Roadside dinner party guests

Vintage Roadside: How about truck stops? 2 hot dogs for $2.00, 55 gallon drum-sized sodas, t-shirts with eagles riding choppers - late at night it's like landing on another planet! We're smitten.

Go-Go Amy: I hate to shatter your romance but I really don't like truck stops. At first all the funny touristy items are cute, but now it's just annoying to get stared at because it's 5:00 am and I have a head full of curlers, or having to eat truck stop food when all you want is a good salad. I do like truck stop showers as they're usually cleaner than most motel and RV parks we stay at.

Vintage Roadside: Fair enough. Back to the Pretty Things Peepshow. You've always got incredible performers touring with you. How do you choose the cast?

Go-Go Amy: We have had a variety of performers on the show but for the last year and a half our cast has been me, Lil Miss Firefly, Miss Heather Holliday and Donny Vomit. I really really lucked out when I got those 3 to commit to the show full time. They are like the Holy Trinity of amazing! Firefly and I met when we toured on Ozzfest with The Brothers Grim Sideshow in 2007. I met Heather the following year when Bros Grim took us to Sweden for a big festival and we also did several Halloween shows together. Heather in turn introduced me to Donny who worked with her on the Coney Island Sideshow.

We have a new performer named Stoya and she does some fabulous aerial and contortion acts. She came to us through our company photographer Steve Prue. Basically anytime Steve introduces me to someone something good happens...and that's totally the case with Stoya - she's been a great addition to the show.

Vintage Roadside: You've done quite a bit of pin-up work and even offer classes through your Pretty Things Academy. What can people that attend those classes expect to learn?

Go-Go Amy: Pretty Things Academy is my national network of Pin Up Modeling classes. In the class you'll learn how to do vintage hair and make up, pose like a pin-up and get a good kick in the self esteem. You'll also get a makeover and a photo shoot. Classes are now taught by me or one of my approved teachers all across the country. You can learn more about the classes on my website here.

Vintage Roadside: We'd like to ask a few questions from the "always wondered" category. Say the venue is either too hot or too cold. In your line of work which one is worse to perform in?

Go-Go Amy: Too cold is always worse than too hot. The only things you have to worry about in a venue that's too hot is sweating your pasties off and smelly costumes, but with all my wardrobe experience we're prepared for that. Cold is far worse. It's really hard to dance because all of your muscles tense up. No one wants to go on stage in our skimpy outfits, and pulling pasties off is a painful experience. Also, people can get really crabby when they're cold so it's harder for us to sell merchandise, and it's even hard to socialize after the show because all we want to do is huddle around Heather's space heater in the dressing room. Right now we're working on constructing fabulous matching 1930's style dresses with fur collar and cuffs that are fully lined and insulated (inspired by a Mae West costume we're all in love with) in preparation for our upcoming winter tour. With these we won't have to wear our coats around the venues.

Vintage Roadside: Pasties - Are they like roller skates in that once you take them off it still feels like you're wearing them?

Go-Go Amy: I don't wear pasties for that long. I'm in 6 acts in the show so I basically stick them on, hop on stage, and then pull them off to get ready for my next act. They may have a roller skate factor for someone who doesn't do as many changes as me but they're not on long enough for me to share in that experience. I have accidentally fallen asleep in them which I do not recommend to anyone. Pulling tape and rhinestones off your nipples while making your morning cup of tea is not as glamorous as you would think.

Vintage Roadside: Strangest gift ever given to you by a fan?

Go-Go Amy: Thank you for both thinking that I have fans, and that those fans actually like me so much they give me gifts. Both of those statements are false but I needed an ego stroke today. There are people who frequent our show and who buy us drinks as well as the occasional Valentine's Day card or rose, but I'm not nearly famous enough to have a good story about getting a pig heart or a lock of hair or anything like that. I did have this really cool chick tattoo the picture of me that Krysztof Nemeth did for my t-shirts on her arm. It's not necessarily a gift for me but I did find it really flattering that I'll be on that girl's arm for the rest of her life. I'm considering letting anyone who has a go-go Amy or Pretty Things Peepshow tattoo into any/all of our shows for free just to see if I can get someone else to lend us some flesh.

Vintage Roadside: So what's up next in the world of the Pretty Things Peepshow?

Go-Go Amy: We're taking Stoya out on the road with us for the first time this December so please come out and support our fabulous new cast member. Those tour dates are up on our website right now. We are also touring January-March of 2012 and those dates will be posted as shows get confirmed. And, we have a big show at Stage on Herr in Harrisburg, PA on New Year's Eve.

I also want to congratulate Miss Heather Holliday for her new gig hosting the MTV Iggy Show which can be seen online now and will start airing on TV next week!

Vintage Roadside: Where else can people get Go-Go Amy news and updates?

Go-Go Amy: You can sign up for our email list here, follow us on Twitter here, and "Like" our Facebook page here.

Vintage Roadside: Thanks Amy, it's been great talking with you and we're looking forward to your next show in Portland!

Go-Go Amy: You're welcome!

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Go-Go Amy Part 1

2011-10-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

The reason we started Vintage Roadside years ago was to share and preserve the stories and history we felt were slipping away. In addition to the bygone places we've researched for our line of t-shirts, we've also met some amazing people with great stories to share - everyone from mermaids (past and present) to roadside museum owners. One thing they all have in common is that they're doing all they can to keep a piece of history alive. Another thing they have in common is that the hours are usually long, and the pay, well, did we mention the personal drive to keep a piece of history alive?

We recently caught up with one of the hardest working people we've met over the years - Go-Go Amy. Amy works tirelessly to keep traditional burlesque and sideshow alive through the touring company she founded - Pretty Things Productions, as well as working as a pin-up model and offering classes through her Pretty Things Academy. Here's some of what she shared with us...

Vintage Roadside: Let's start with the question we've always wanted to ask you (but seem to forget whenever we see you.) The first time we saw a Pretty Things Peepshow one of the things that floored us before the show even really got going was that you had your own Go-Go Amy theme song! It really doesn't get much cooler than that. What's the story behind the song?

Go-Go Amy: That song was written by a band from Canada called Hank Angel and his Island Devils. I did a gig with them. They were to play live after the burlesque ladies went on and something happened, the show was running short or some girl didn't show up, so I offered to dance for them live. No rehearsal and having never heard any of their songs we quickly decided on some cues for them to put hits in for some of my dance moves and I told them to give me 2 counts of 8 after my top came off to end the song. I guess they were impressed by my "Show Must Go On" attitude and how well I could roll with the punches because I got the song sent to me a few weeks later. After that whenever I was in Canada and we could make our schedules work I would perform with them live. It was a big compliment to have a song written for me but, on a more important marketing note, product placement is always important so if I can ever get my hands on a good song to include in the show that plugs the show at the same time I'll put it in our set. So, if any bands out there want to put together some track about me or the Pretty Things Peepshow you should get in touch. We'll take your tunes all over the world!

Vintage Roadside: We've always felt a kinship with you in the sense that you took something you love and realized the only way to do it full-time was to create your own job. What's a typical day like for you?

Go-Go Amy: I don't think I really have a typical day. It changes so much depending on where we are in our touring cycle. The week before we hit the road it's almost 24 hours a day getting last minute sewing done, advancing shows, cleaning and repairing the RV we use as a tour bus, and trying to tie up loose ends. The first week of tour we're all settling in, tweaking the set list, and getting into the groove of the tour. On tour a typical day is wake up at 9:00 am, work, send emails, and do payroll until about 1:00 pm. Then I eat, read a book, take a nap and have some "me" time. At 6:00 pm we load into the venue and get set up. 8:00 pm the doors open and the show starts at 9:00 or 10:00 pm and lasts till about 1:00 am. Then we hang out at our merchandise booth chatting people up, selling pasties, and throwing back a few drinks. 2:00 am we load everything out, drive a little and then pull over and sleep. Rinse and repeat. During pre-production I usually spend several hours a day online booking or promoting shows, updating our website, Facebook page, events listings, etc. The only typical thing about my days is that everything I do from the moment I wake up until the second I pass out is work on moving the show forward both onstage and off.

Vintage Roadside: Some people may not know this, but the amazing costumes you wear are designed and sewn by you. Is it a lot of trial and error? We can't imagine you can head over to the fabric store and pick up a pattern for a dress that comes off in 4 pieces!

Go-Go Amy: That's right, I do design and construct everything I wear in the show. I also make all the group costumes and I've started making costumes for some of the other cast members as well. My background is actually in costume design. I started sewing at age 6 and I was working professionally at an off Broadway theater company by the age of 14. I went to NYU for Theatrical Design and I've worked in theater in NYC as well as film, TV, and celebrity styling when I lived in Hollywood. When I was working I would always come up with these fantastical designs, but I never had an excuse to make them for any of the projects I was working on so burlesque became my outlet for all of the designs I had dreamed up but was never able to make. I also feel like my technical knowledge really helps the show. There are a lot of hidden snaps, zippers, and buttons that all help my dress come off in 4 (or more) pieces and that always keeps the audience in awe as they have no idea how the next part will come off.

Vintage Roadside: You've performed over 300 shows around the world. How do you come up with new routines? P.S. We're big fans of both your fire act and the Chinese Execution Blade Box - two completely different, but awesome parts of your show.

Go-Go Amy: Thank you! Those are 2 of my favorite acts as well. When I was a solo performer I just tried to put together acts that were fun to do and looked cool, but now that I'm part of a major production there's a lot more to it. We all try and keep track of what the other performers are doing, what costumes they're wearing, etc. so we don't double up on anything. In the Pretty Things Peepshow we want to make sure that every act is unique and exciting so you've got to keep tabs on everyone else to make sure what you're doing is unique. I also have to keep the set list in mind. I know my first act has to be a quick change because I only have about 90 seconds to change out of my opening corset into something fabulous so that act can't have too many pieces. I try not to do anything where I would have to take my shoes off after Firefly's glass act just in case there's a stray piece of glass left on stage. I always do my "Fire Boob" act before Heather does her fire eating act, and we never put them in the same set because we like to space out our fire acts. Some people would see this as limiting, but I like that we all care about the show as a whole as well as our individual acts - it makes for a much better show!

Vintage Roadside: Performing in such a variety of places has to be quite a challenge. We can't imagine that when you're someplace new almost every night things always go perfectly. The first time we saw you you were on a stage with a low ceiling and when you started your bullwhip routine it immediately got caught in the lighting above the stage. You took it completely in stride and had the audience laughing along with you. How do you deal with those types of situations?

Go-Go Amy: The trick to being on stage is simple. If you're having fun then the audience is having fun, so if you fu** up or if you're hit with an unexpected circumstance (like lighting equipment that you didn't encounter, even though you ran your act 4 times at sound check) you can't let it phase you and the audience will continue having a good time. And, at the end of the day that should be the most important thing - that the people who paid good money to see you feel like it was money well spent. I don't mess up that much, but when I do people remember it and how I was able to roll with it. Case in point you guys asking me this question. I can do hundreds of shows that go off without a hitch but the 1 or 2 flubs I have make the audience so happy because we have a secret together. It's like, for a second I've stepped off stage and am a normal person just like them messing up at my job. Then they realize that my job involves a whip and a pair of high heel cowboy boots and the show goes on. It's the thrill of live theater.

We hope you enjoyed Part 1 of our interview with Go-Go Amy! Join us later this week for Part 2. We'll talk about everything from road trip food to whether or not you should sleep in your pasties. In the meantime be sure and "Like" the Pretty Things Productions Facebook page located here, and for more photos, videos, and Amy's upcoming schedule check out her website located here.

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Dive Bar Mermaid Rachel

2011-10-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

When you mention "live mermaids" many people think of Florida - with good reason. You can still catch a show at the one-and-only Weeki Wachee Springs, or venture down to the historic Wreck Bar in Ft. Lauderdale and watch Marina and her pod work tirelessly every Friday evening to keep a piece of history alive. Another option for those of us west of the Mississippi is the Sip 'n Dip Lounge in Great Falls, Montana. The Sip 'n Dip, located in the O'Haire Motor Inn, is also a wonderful piece of roadside history. (Much more on the Sip 'n Dip in an upcoming post.)

When we heard late in 2010 that a new mermaid lounge was opening in Sacramento, California we were amazed. The building of a new mermaid attraction was right up there with someone opening a new drive in theater or a new roller rink - these things just don't happen anymore. Amazingly it did happen and in early 2011 The Dive Bar opened to rave reviews.

We caught up with head mermaid Rachel Smith to see how things were going at the Dive Bar and here's what she had to say...

Vintage Roadside: We read that you landed the Dive Bar job by submitting a "mermaid resume" - can you tell us a little of what makes up a mermaid resume?

Rachel: It's a regular resume, but showcases any mermaid work experience that I've had in the past. My resume for the Dive Bar didn't have any professional jobs on it, but it did have photos both above and underwater, my headshot, swimming experience and included a link to a video I had made with a friend. Lynda, our mermom, was incredibly impressed with the video - it was probably the thing that helped me the most to get the job.

Vintage Roadside: You do the mermaid hiring and training at the Dive Bar. What's the response like when you have an opening? Are you flooded with applicants?

Rachel: Everyone wants to be a mermaid! We have tons of resumes on file of men and women waiting to try out. We even had a girl send us photos of her in her underwear! Not exactly what we are looking for...ha! When we hold auditions we try to filter out anyone who has not had any swim, dance. modeling or acting experience. To swim in our small tank space, you really have to know how to control and move your body gracefully and safely. It's a lot harder than most people think!

Vintage Roadside: What type of training did you have prior to the opening of the Dive Bar?

Rachel: Our first round of mermaids (including myself) were trained by the incredibly talented Linden Wolbert of Mermaids in Motion. She taught us breath techniques, how to find neutral buoyancy in our saltwater tank, and lots of other mertips and tricks. When I train a mermaid, I like to keep what Linden taught us in the back of my mind - without her, we would have been floundering, literally!

Vintage Roadside: The Dive Bar tank is fairly unique. What types of things do you need to be aware of swimming in it?

Rachel: It's really important to know where everything is, all of the obstacles, props, etc. One of our biggest priorities at Dive is mermaid safety, we always have a lifeguard certified security member watching us when we're in the tank. It also took us some time to get used to swimming with the live fish. They all have personalities of their own, and can be a little feisty if it's a night that they're supposed to be fed.

Vintage Roadside: It sounds like you guys were as ready as you could be. Do you remember opening night?

Rachel: Between all the glitter, the screaming, and all the bubbles, it's a little bit of a blur - ha! We had all of the girls swimming that night, and it was actually my first night as head mermaid! Everything went swimmingly, of course. All the girls swam, flirted, and gave it their all. I think it was a very successful evening. We were even asked by George (the owner) to get back in the tank after the shows were finished for the night - people couldn't get enough of the mermaids!

Vintage Roadside: It sounds like all the preparation really paid off. No "goofs" at all for you guys?

Rachel: There are always awkward mermaid moments in the tank, they are unavoidable. Mermaid Aimee accidentally pushed me into the tank one night, and I just sort of dazedly swam back out. It must have looked pretty silly from below. I did the same thing to her a few weeks later though, completely on accident, so we're even now. ;-) There are always a few awkward escaping nose bubbles, and I've got a fish caught in my hair once or twice as well.

Vintage Roadside: What makes a Dive Bar show different from the other mermaid attractions?

Rachel: While Dive Bar definitely hearkens back to the aquatic shows of the 1960s, it's a really modern twist. We don't have a set soundtrack or routine that we have to perform while we're in the tank. Every show is unique, and every mermaid we have swimming at Dive has a different personality that they bring to the show. It's worth coming again and again, you'll always see something new.

Vintage Roadside: You guys even have a merman don't you? How does the crowd react to him?

Rachel: People really love it when our merman Antwan swims. The screaming does not stop!

Vintage Roadside: Who are some of the current aquatic performers you enjoy watching or wish you could swim with?

Rachel: Linden is incredible, I would love to swim with her out of the tank someday; either for fun or if she needs an extra mer. She is vivacious, bright, and cares deeply for our planet and its oceans. Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid is the best retro aquatic performer out there. She's a treasure-trove of talent and knowledge; I think that all mers could learn a lot from her. I also really like the styling of Mermaid Raven of Merbellas; I like her gypsy/tribal mermaid vibe. She makes beautiful tails and accessories. And of course, I would love to swim with our tail-maker, the fabulous Eric Ducharme. We're hoping he can come out to the Dive at some point and put on a few special shows with us. He's so enthusiastic and dedicated to what he does; it's been great working with him.

Vintage Roadside: We're big admirers of the Weeki Wachee "Formers" that perform once a month. Do you see yourself still performing in your 60s and 70s?

Rachel: I will always be a mermaid, but there will probably come a time to hang up my tail professionally. I'm very dedicated to my illustration, and painting and creating takes a lot of my time and energy. Being a mermaid is something I love so much, and comes so naturally to me that I will never stop doing it. Although in the golden years of my life, I might have to settle for Sea Hag! Ha!

Vintage Roadside: Thank you so much Rachel!

Rachel: You're welcome!

If you find yourself in Sacramento and are looking for something unique - check out the Dive Bar at 1016 K Street! They're open 7 days a week from 4:00 pm - 3:00 am.

If you'd like to see some of the artwork Rachel creates when not performing you'll find her website here.

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside adds to their fiberglass family!

2011-09-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

We're thrilled to announce a new addition to the Vintage Roadside family of vintage fiberglass mascots - Harbie the Seal!

We have quite an affinity for fiberglass giants who began their careers in the 1960s as the mascots of places like A&W, Texaco, Yogi's Fried Chicken, Harbor Gasoline, Uniroyal Tire Stores, and the miniature golf course down the street. As many of these finished up their careers they were either re-worked to advertise something different, or in many cases sadly destroyed due to their size. We like to think of our collection as a "retirement home" for these one-time icons of advertising.

The Harbie the Seal statues once greeted customers outside of select Harbor Gasoline stations in the southern California area. In his outstretched hand (flipper) he held a ship's lantern. These Harbies had spent the last 30+ years living quietly in a canyon above Beverly Hills, California and cared for by a wonderful couple Mac & Natalie.

Beverly Hills Harbies

After months of planning to bring them to their new home the entire road trip "adoption" process ended up happening in just 53 hours! (Keep in mind they were located roughly 1100 miles away.) Here's a rough timeline of how it all fell into place:

Sunday - We get confirmation the pickup we need for the trip is available!

Monday afternoon - Trip called off due to unrelated issue. Bummer...

Monday evening - Trip back on! Elation...

Tuesday 1:00 pm - We leave Portland, OR for Beverly Hills, CA. Random stops for old neon signs and at truck stops for both food & amusing gift shop ideas make up a large portion of the drive.

Wednesday 11:00 am - We arrive in Beverly Hills, CA. Traffic resembles the opening to the movie Office Space and the temperature is already nearing 100 degrees.

Wednesday 11:15 am - We hike up the steep road to the Harbies. We leave the truck at the base of the road as it resembles something seen on Ice Road Truckers - Deadliest Roads. We begin digging the Harbies out of the hillside. Temperature now feels close to 147 degrees. We receive occasional advice, questions, and fond musings on the Harbies from neighbors.

Wednesday 1:00 pm - We have successfully and safely extracted the Harbies and carried them down the hill to the truck. We load them in the truck and drive down the street to lay in the shade of a local park to let the effects of heat exhaustion fade to a more manageable level. We count ourselves lucky we aren't rousted by security as we look like we were dunked in a tank of 12 types of dirt and sweat. Amazingly the water fountain is actually chilled - thumbs up for Beverly Hills Parks!

Wednesday 1:30 pm - We need to make a non-Harbie related meeting. We drive the giant truck with two smiling seals through Bel Air and Hollywood. Pointing ensues.

Wednesday 4:00 pm - We leave the area headed for I-5 north. Amazingly traffic has not improved in the past 5 hours.

That really was 2 giant seals you just passed on I-5

Wednesday 10:30 pm - We stop to eat at a Denny's somewhere along the way. Jeremy proceeds to eat a sandwich that started life as a grilled cheese and is then stuffed with macaroni & cheese as well as a hamburger patty...you can't make this stuff up.

Thursday 4:00 am - After this many hours awake we begin to realize just how Hunter S. Thompson wrote those books. We stop at a rest area to sleep for 2 hours. We awake to an entire tour group surrounding the pickup gleefully posing with the Harbies for photos. In a sleep-deprived state of mind Jeremy makes the mistake of exiting the truck into the mass of people. I briefly consider sacrificing him and quickly driving away.

Thursday 7:00 am - 1:00 pm - We come up with the concept for an all-new event...Trucker Oasis! We spend hours discussing every detail of a 3-day event that will celebrate and honor everything related to being a trucker as well as those that embrace the trucker lifestyle. Also at this point we've stopped counting the number of people pointing as they pass us. Looks of open-mouthed puzzlement have quickly become our favorite reaction.

Thursday 4:00 pm - We arrive back where we began our road trip. Clear thinking will return in approximately 36 hours.

Huge thanks to our friend Jeremy for making the trip! Without his help this whole crazy trip wouldn't have been possible!

To all you you that passed us along the way and gave a wave, a thumbs-up, or snapped a photo or two we'd like to say thanks! It's kind of a boring drive up I-5, so hopefully we made your drive a little more memorable.

And, if you know of a fiberglass mascot needing a new home let us know! We're always ready to load up the truck and head out. We've been saving a spot for a Muffler Man right over there by Papa Burger. :-)

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

P.S. You can see more photos from our trip at our Facebook page located here.

Jake the Alligator Man's 2011 Birthday Party

2011-08-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite projects here at Vintage Roadside is having the honor of designing the t-shirt for Jake the Alligator Man's Birthday Party each summer.

For those of you not familiar with Jake, he's one of the star attractions at Marsh's Free Museum in Long Beach, Washington. Marsh's, open since 1935, is a true piece of roadside history and one of our must-see places. Everything from taxidermy to vintage penny arcade games as well as plenty of souvenirs to take home.

Huge thanks to Wendy and the Long Beach Merchants Association for throwing one of the best parties of the year! To encourage you to start making plans for 2012 here are 20 random photos from the celebration.

All photos copyright Vintage Roadside.

Free birthday cake at Marsh's provided by the Cottage Bakery.

Did we mention the hot rod show?

The Bride of Jake Contest in full swing.

A parade breaks out as the cake travels from the bakery to Marsh's.

DragStrip Riot - always a crowd-pleaser!

Jake enjoys an annual bachelor party.

Our mascot Stinky also enjoyed the bachelor party!

Party games for the kids!

The fearless leader of the event Wendy.

Each year William of My Dementia creates an amazing trophy to be given as "Jake's Choice" at the hot rod show.

Lobster Girl makes her case as a potential Bride of Jake.

Eerie Lee Shivers & Friends say "Welcome!"

Derek of Cherry Redd proudly accepts the 2011 Jake's Choice Award.

Jake's amazing cake from the Cottage Bakery.

2011 Bridesmaid of Jake - Katy Kosmic!

2011 Bride of Jake - Monica Midnight!

Nothing goes with a summer party like a little Elvis. The Graceland Five were simply amazing.

Mrs. Roadside with the 2011 Bride & Bridesmaid.

Hot rods & pin-ups.

Jake & Stinky hope to see you there next year!

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Former Weeki Wachee mermaid Jo!

2011-07-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know of our devotion to telling the story of the Aquamaids and Aqualads of Missouri's Aquarama - the 1960s underwater show once located at the Lake of the Ozarks. What you might not know is that we also have a huge appreciation for all of the other underwater attractions that were once located across the country. From the porthole bars of Miami to the Submarine Theater of Aquarena Springs - we love them all!

We're thrilled to present to you our first-ever interview with a former Weeki Wachee mermaid. So grab a seat next to the glass and get ready to meet Jo.

Photo courtesy of Jo

Vintage Roadside: Hi Jo! Let's start with how old you were when you started at Weeki Wachee.

Jo: I was 18 when I started a dream job as I call it! After all how many people can say that they have, or have had, a job that they loved to get up and go to and get paid to do it? I had the best boss, Genie Y. and the best trainer Susie S. ever, and may I say two of the most stunningly beautiful women I've ever seen. They were like sisters to me, I loved working with all of my mermaid sisters!!

Vintage Roadside: Any type of training people might not expect?

Jo: Most of the time we would start our days off at the ballet bar for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Vintage Roadside: What was your performance schedule like?

Jo: Our shows were as long as they are nowadays - about 45 minutes each, and we would do between 3 to 4 shows a day. Every Saturday night we had a deep dive, that was a special show as it looked totally different at night! I for one was not very fond of doing that show...LOL! The big hole was pretty scary at night and I always wondered what was beyond what we could see! Now I know it's one of the biggest cave systems in the US. Barbara W., a former mermaid has actually been a ways into the cave - that is so awesome!

Vintage Roadside: How large was the cast when you performed there in 1967 and 1968?

Jo: It depended on the show and how many characters were in it. I'd also say there were at least 3 extra people in the water in case something went wrong with a hose or prop, etc. We had 2 amazing Water Boys (that's what they were called when I was swimming at Weeki Wachee) Allen S. and Steve K.

Photo courtesy of Jo

Vintage Roadside: Did you have a favorite routine or part you got to perform?

Jo: Now that is a big question to answer! I loved all of the parts, each and every one was so much fun to do. If I had to pick one from the Wizard of Oz routine I guess I would pick the Cowardly Lion. And in the Underwater Dreams Girls routine I'd say the Hula Girl.

Vintage Roadside: Those sound wonderful! Here's another tough one - which costume did you like better?

Jo: The Cowardly Lion costume was second only to the mermaid tail of course! LOL!

Vintage Roadside: Did you have any "famous" visitors to the show?

Jo: The highlight of my time at Weeki Wachee was meeting Miss Universe 1967 Sylvia Hitchcock. She was so pretty and sweet and she even swam a show with us! She gave me an autographed photo of herself in a bathing suit with her crown on. I still have the photo!

Photo courtesy of Jo

Vintage Roadside: We've heard stories from some of the Aquarama cast that things didn't always go as planned with the air hoses. Anything odd ever happen with yours?

Jo: We had 3 air hoses in the air tube between the Tube Room and the springs under the theater. I jump in, get to the first hose and take a breath, slowly exhale on the way to the next hose, get to it, try to turn it on - can't! Swim to the next hose - out of air! Can't turn that one on either - almost drowned my fool self! Lesson learned, never exhale all of your air!! Someone sure caught it after the show for tightening the valves too tight though!

Vintage Roadside: Wow! No wonder you still remember that. Any brushes with the local wildlife?

Jo: I once held up the show because of a snake in the Tube Room. They had to send someone down to get rid of it. I was up on the cabinet and was not coming down! I hate snakes...well to tell the truth I'm scared of them. My husband says they're more scared of me than I am of them and I say no way!

Some months later Barnacle Bill the Catfish made me late for a show. He met me between the first and second air hose in the tube and grabbed my tuxedo that I had draped over my arm. We had a tug of war going on for a while! He was the biggest catfish I had ever seen in my life but he wasn't getting my tux - I had to go do the "Puttin' on the Ritz" routine in it!

Vintage Roadside: Did you get to meet the public after your performances?

Jo: Yes I did, and that was so much fun. Even the grownups acted like kids - I loved it!

Photo courtesy of Jo

Vintage Roadside: We love the photo of you next to the wagon wheel. Was that a popular spot for photos?

Jo: Only to the photographer Claude - he used it quite often. We had another photographer named Sparky who just turned 90 this year. He was at Weeki Wachee on his birthday and he looked great! He remembers lots of things about working there too...amazing man and a sweet person!

Vintage Roadside: For some people the image they see when they think of Weeki Wachee is famous Adagio pose. It looks pretty effortless, any way it could go wrong?

Jo: The most embarrassing thing that happened to me was at the end of one of the shows myself and another mermaid were supposed to do the Adagio. I was the top half and she was the bottom half. I waited for the music cue, swam out and took my place, turned upside down and slowly began rising to the top of the water. The only problem - no bottom half! I still have no idea where my bottom half was! LOL! I got chewed out for that one. I learned another lesson - don't go anywhere without your bottom!!

Adagio with top and bottom :-)

Vintage Roadside: Do you keep in touch with any of your former cast-mates?

Jo: Yes I do. And when I go to Florida I try to arrange it so I can go to Weeki Wachee to see everyone and watch the shows. Love seeing them and catching up on what they're doing and getting a few photos too. Facebook is also a great way to keep in touch. That's even how I met you guys! :-)

Vintage Roadside: The Aquamaids and Aqualads from Aquarama have told us how much fun it is to tell people they once performed in a mermaid show. What's the reaction like when you tell people you're a former Weeki Wachee mermaid?

Jo: It's great! One of my friends (Marty) was with me as I was mermaid hunting and she told the lady at the store I was a former mermaid. The lady looked at her like she was crazy! When I found my mermaid and took it to the counter to pay for it I said this one was going on my shelf with the others next to the photo of me in my mermaid tail. The lady said "OMG, I thought she was kidding!" How do you breath? Then she wanted to hear the whole story. :-) Most of all I get the biggest kick out of hearing people try to pronounce Weeki Wachee! Lol!

Vintage Roadside: We know that the "Formers" keep quite active and even perform on a regular basis. Is there a way to keep up with what's going on?

Jo: Yes! We have an organization that you can join called Friend of Weeki Wachee Springs. There are some great benefits if you join - admission to annual member celebrations, a newsletter, invitations to members-only events and more. The organization helps raise money to support the park and is only $15 to join or $25 for a family.

Photo courtesy of Jo

Vintage Roadside: Thank you so much Jo! It was an honor to share a bit of your mermaid history. Any final thoughts?

Jo: I would like to say that we had many talented people like Bonnie G. (who had a new show every year - now that's devotion) that worked at Weeki Wachee when I was there. I want to thank everyone that I worked with for making it the best and most memorable experience of my life! I still dream of swimming in the spring in my tail and as we say "Once a mermaid, always a mermaid!"

If you've got a question you'd like to ask Jo feel free to post it over on the Vintage Roadside Facebook page located here. Jo swims by now and then and we know she'd love to hear from you.

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Rose City Round-Up 2011 - A Photo Tour

2011-06-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

The Driven Dead C.C. hosted their 4th Annual Rose City Round-Up earlier this month and once again it was fantastic to see the show the show continue to grow!

In addition to the incredible assortment of cars, pickups, motorcycles, bicycles, and live bands, the Driven Dead also donate all proceeds to a charity each year - this year was the Oregon Food Bank. So, for the suggested donation of 2 non-perishable food items and a modest $5.00 fee for parking, you get up to 14 solid hours of entertainment.

For those of you that missed the show this year here are 20 random photos to get you ready for 2012.

Thanks again to the Driven Dead C.C. for all the hard work that goes into putting on a show like this, and for having us photograph the event - looking forward to number 5!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roads hits the Hukilau!

2011-06-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Sunshine State! Ft. Lauderdale to be more exact.

Home to not only the world-famous Mai-Kai, but also the Wreck Bar - which features one of the last remaining live underwater shows - we've long had Ft. Lauderdale on our list of "really want to see" places. For years we've also wanted to attend the Hukilau, which when you think about it, gives you the chance to do and see all of those things and more.Given the proper frame of mind you realize it would be silly to not go. We were honored to be asked to present our Aquarama symposium at the Hukilau this year which added one more thing to the overflowing "Plus" column for us.

Here's a quick list of just some of the things you can expect at the Hukilau: Friendly people, great live music, room crawls, a visit or two to the Mai-Kai, a show by Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid and her Pod at the Wreck Bar,new friends, wonderful symposiums, and possibly a cocktail or two. Here we go...

A close-up of the amazing artwork created for our Aquarama symposium by artist Nicholas Dewey.

Thursday night kicked off at the Bahia Cabana with performances by the Intoxicators! and the Tikiyaki Orchestra along with special guest Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid. After seeing the two team up at Tiki Oasis last summer we couldn't wait. The evening went late into the night with the Master Mixologist Challenge anda few different room parties.

Marina demonstrates how she earned her stage name.

Friday's line-up had something for everyone - amazing vendors, a Meet & Greet with Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, and live music and dancing from 7:00 pm - 2:00 am in the hotel ballroom. 6:30 pm was the big one for us - Marina and her Pod performing at the Wreck Bar. A short walk up the street was all that was needed to slip back in time 50 years.

The former Yankee Clipper Hotel - now known as the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel

The above photo is a look inside the Wreck Bar prior to opening for the night. Over the years the Wreck Bar has been reduced in size, however it's nice they've still maintained the historic appearance. Although we noticed a sign saying the room had a maximum occupancy of 45 people we'd guess there were easily 150+ people squeezed in for the performance! It was fantastic to see the appreciation for this bit of history.

Marina appears both in the window of the Wreck Bar and the viewfinder of a camera.

An upside down greeting of the crowd.

Passing by.

We shot this video to give you an idea of what a Friday night at the Wreck Bar is like.

After the show everyone has a chance to have their photo taken with the Wreck Bar performers.

Between the Wreck Bar and the Bahia Mar is this other great bit of Florida history - The Jungle Queen Riverboat.

Saturday was our big day. We were excited to share the history of the Aquarama with a new group of people and had planned a few surprises. Thanks again to Marc, we had for the first time several of the original Aquarama costumes to share with the audience including bathing suits and mermaid tails. We also shared home movie footage from 1965 showing such Florida landmarks as Cypress Gardens, Goofy Golf and a rare look at the Mai-Kai. It was a pleasure to end our presentation with Marina who took questions from the audience and also shared a bit of her knowledge and deep appreciation for underwater performance past and present.

Another look at the hand-tinted artwork created for our syposium.

We wanted to say thanks again to everyone that came to our presentation - we hope you enjoyed it. It really was our pleasure to share the story & history with you. Also a special thanks to Lewis, Chris, Marina, and Christie, who made it all possible behind the scene!

Mrs. Roadside & Marina model Marina's famous red mermaid tail - which thanks to Marina is now a part of the Vintage Roadside archives. We look forward to sharing this great piece of history!

Saturday's heavyweight event was the dinner show at the Mai-Kai. Opened in 1956, and legendary for it's decor, gardens, and cocktail selection, we couldn't wait to see it for ourselves. It's almost impossible to describe due to the sheer amount of...well, everything. Throw in the largest crowd of the year and it becomes quite an experience. Needless to say, if you enjoy tiki & Polynesian history and you ever have the chance to visit it's well worth it. Here are a few photos we shot that night.

The front of the Mai-Kai. Fountains + lights + tropical foliage + fire = perfection.

One of the countless carvings in the gardens.

More carvings along with a variety of bamboo make a great screen.

A couple enjoying the ambience of the Mai-Kai gardens.

For those fans of Stinky here he is posing with a few of the Hukilau left-overs at the registration booth.

If you made it to the Hukilau we'd love to hear your stories and see your photos. Please feel free to share on our Facebook page located here!

We'd like to finish off this post with a few thank yous to some of the people that made our first trip to the Hukilau so incredible. First a huge thanks to Christie for inviting us to join the event, to Marina for being a part of the Vintage Roadside family, Lewis & Chris for saving the day on Saturday morning, all the Hukilau staff & volunteers for keeping things rolling, Rick & Julie for making the drive down, the staff of the Mai-Kai for amazing service in the midst of the crush, Marc & Ann, all the Aquamaids & Aqualads, and lastly to those of you we finally got to meet in "real life" - let's do it again soon!

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarama Aquamaid Claudia Part 2

2011-05-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome back for Part 2 of our interview with former Aquarama Aquamaid Claudia. In Part 2 we'll learn how to put on a mermaid tail, what it was like to be one of the Aquarama "Alley Cats", and even an Aquarama theme song.

Vintage Roadside: Did the second season offer any new roles for you?

Claudia: After the first year I got to do the opening mermaid routine. We would position ourselves in the large clam shells (sometimes with those pesky fish as shell mates) and then use our air hoses to help us open our shells as the bubble curtain ended and the lights came up. We would do "dolphins," a smooth circle movement, and then go from window to window to smile and wave to the audience. We didn't have to wear a swim mask and I loved the leisurely free swim time just moving to the music.

Vintage Roadside: We've seen photos of the mermaid tails and they looked pretty incredible.

Claudia: The mermaid tail was my favorite because it was made of shimmering silver lame and was decorated with green sequins.

Vintage Roadside: Was the tail hard to put on?

Claudia: It was difficult to put on because you had to place your feet in flippers that were in the bottom of the tail and make sure the flippers were aligned correctly, and then you had to zip the tail up the side. It fit perfectly to your body when it was done. You moved freely and easily in the water, but it was heavy and difficult to get out of the water when the number was over.

Vintage Roadside: Did the routines become more complex over the years you performed?

Claudia: Yes they did. The first year we worked on controlling our breathing, learning the routines, maneuvering in our costumes, and finding our way in the darkened pool between acts. After we mastered those basics, we worked on embellishing the routines and increasing the pace. The later routines were more involved and athletic. In the first year we wore masks for most of the numbers, but as time went on we challenged ourselves to see how many routines we could do without the masks.

Claudia at far left (photo provided by Marc)

Vintage Roadside: We've got a great photo of the cast in their "Alley Cat" costumes. Do you remember that routine?

Claudia: Oh yes! "Alley Cat" was a popular song, and it had a great rhythm with which to swim. Our costumes involved a black and white swim suit with a yarn tail attached. We also wore lovely black gloves with teardrop shaped rhinestones for fingernails. We would hold the tails and wave them to the music and scratch the water with our claws. That was such fun!

Vintage Roadside: Did you battle the dreaded "green" hair that affected much of the cast?

Claudia: I was the only redhead in the cast so my hair didn't turn green, but the daily contact with the water really dried my hair. I remember doing hot oil treatments each week to try (not too successfully) to minimize the frizz.

Vintage Roadside: Do you have any photos or souvenirs from your Aquarama days?

Claudia: I do have some of those tucked away. In hindsight I wish I had taken some casual snapshots of the cast. We became good friends, as well as co-workers. We went boating, skiing, shopping, dancing, and would you believe, even swimming together. We had slumber parties and held various gatherings in our homes. At one time we even made up a song about ourselves. It went like this:

We are the Aquamaids!
We wear our hair in braids.

We wear our dungarees,
Way up above our knees.

But when our show is here,
Then you will give a cheer.

For we are really great,
We start our show at eight!

Vintage Roadside: Have you kept in touch with any of your former cast-mates?

Claudia: I exchanged Christmas cards with Marc, but had lost contact with the others. Thanks to the connections you have provided, I have started a wonderful email correspondence with Dian. Dian and I were in the same graduating class at School of the Osage and we also attended Drury College in Springfield, Missouri. We have enjoyed reminiscing about our shared memories of growing up at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Vintage Roadside: Not many people can say they worked as a mermaid. What's the reaction from people like when they learn you once did?

Claudia: At conferences or meetings they often ask you to tell the group something about yourself that might surprise them. I always say that I was a mermaid in a former life. They usually laugh until I explain, and then they become fascinated when they learn I swam underwater and had a mermaid tail.

We'd like to say thanks again to Claudia for sharing some of her history with us!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Come see Vintage Roadside at The Hukilau!

2011-05-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

We're thrilled to be making our first-ever Hukilau appearance next month! We'd like to invite all Hukilau attendees to our Aquarama symposium that we'll be presenting at the Bahia Mar on Saturday, June 11th at 12:30 pm.

Some of the highlights of our presentation include:

Original 1964 home movies of Aquarama performers
Original cast photographs
Original audio clips from Aquarama performances
History and memories from dozens of former cast members
Original costumes not seen in over 40 years
Q&A session with the one-and-only Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid
And several more surprises

You can read more on our Facebook page here.

Get your tickets for our presentation at the Hukilau website here.

See you in Fort Lauderdale!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarama Aquamaid Claudia Part 1

2011-05-05T00:16:00.000-07:00

Aquarama trivia: The Aquarama began the 1964 season with eight female performers.

We're thrilled to be able to share our latest interview with one of the original Aquarama Aquamaids. Please give a warm welcome to Claudia!

Vintage Roadside: Prior to 1964 there had been nothing quite like The Aquarama at the Lake of the Ozarks - we're curious what your thoughts were about becoming a part of a show like this?

Claudia: The concept of an underwater show was new at the Lake of the Ozarks, and I was fascinated about how it would all happen. I would look at the pictures of Weeki Wachee and it seemed beautiful and unreal. There had been a Ski Show in the area for a long time, so the idea of another aquatic performance was interesting and people were curious about it.

Vintage Roadside: Were there any early thoughts of whether or not you'd be able to pull the show off?

Claudia: Yes, that was a topic of conversation in the Lake area. My Dad, Curley, became friends with Wally Johl. They were both mechanically minded and liked to create projects and build things. Dad had been a lifeguard and pool manager at a large aquatics center in Kansas City, and he was fascinated with the plans for building the Aquarama. I remember him and Mr. Johl discussing those plans at length. I also remember that some folks in town didn't believe Mr. Johl's plans would work and that the tremendous amount of water needed to fill the pool could not be held back by the glass windows. I remember dad saying that the plan was well engineered and that he thought it would work. It did, and Mr. Johl was proven right!

Claudia pictured standing 2nd from left against wall

Vintage Roadside: Was the Aquarama your first summer job?

Claudia: I worked as a waitress at the Pizza House on "The Strip" in Lake Ozark. I worked there the summer before the Aquarama opened, and I had promised to come back the next summer. I remember feeling so conflicted when I told them I wanted to swim at the Aquarama and not return to my waitress job. I felt sad about not returning, but the opportunity to be an Aquamaid was too exciting to turn down.

Vintage Roadside: We were lucky enough to recently meet Barbara who was also part of the original cast, but left the show after that first season. Do you remember Barbara?

Claudia: Yes, I have very fond memories of Barbara. We were all in awe of her because she was older (in her twenties!), glamorous, and had worked at Weeki Wachee in Florida. She wanted us to be physically trained and mentally prepared for our roles, so she made us practice hard, but she also realized that we were teenagers and allowed us to have some fun. I idolized her and listened carefully to her advice. She lived in a little cabin at a nearby resort, and I remember visiting there and thinking that one day I would be away from home and out on my own like she was.

Vintage Roadside: Do you remember those early practices?

Claudia: Oh yes! We had to practice in an outdoor pool until the pool at the Aquarama was filled. It was a chilly spring and I remember how hard we worked to synchronize our movements and learn how to control our breathing (no air hoses in that pool!) while trying to stay warm.

Vintage Roadside: Do you remember some of the acts you were a part of that first season?

Claudia: The theme was a trip around the world, and I remember the Hawaiian number where we did the hula in long Hawaiian skirts, the one in Tasmania* where we wore pink floral sarongs and formed the long dolphin chain, and the finale with Marc as the Statue of Liberty and the Aquamaids swimming with swim flippers to a John Phillip Sousa march.

* The girls are wearing the Tasmanian costumes in the postcard above

Vintage Roadside: Did you have a favorite routine that first season?

Claudia: My favorite that first season had to be the number from England when we did a Beatles song, I think it was "She Loves You." We wore black tee shirts and fluffy black bathing caps to resemble their trademark haircuts. I got to be Ringo, and I loved beating the drums, throwing my drumsticks up in the water, and trying to catch them before they floated to the top.

Vintage Roadside: Any memories of things not going quite as planned that first season?

Claudia: The costumes were all weighted, but often we would jump in the pool at practice only to have them "malfunction." Then it would be back to the drawing board, and Mrs. Johl would have to add more weights, etc. I remember the first time I tried on my Beatle costume as being pretty funny. I pulled on the black bathing cap and put the black tee shirt on over my suit. I then jumped in the water and puffed up like a marshmallow! I didn't make sure the cap was pulled down well, so it puffed up with air, and then the tee shirt didn't have enough weights and it ballooned up with the shirt tail floating up under my arms.

To be continued!

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside meets a mermaid!

2011-04-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

In 1964 the Johl family saw their dream come to life with the grand opening of The Aquarama. The Lake of the Ozarks had never seen a show quite like this - a cast of local performers took the audience on an underwater journey "around the world". The show featured mermaids, a Spanish bull fight, a Hawaiian routine, and even a performance by the Beatles.

As we began gathering the history behind that first season we quickly learned of one cast member who had made a tremendous impact on the rest of the cast - Barbara. We learned that Barbara had arrived at The Aquarama by way of Weeki Wachee, had grown up in Michigan, had left the Aquarama after that first season to get married and begin a new chapter in her life...oh, and that the cast had not spoken with her since 1964.

As we began getting to know the cast one of the questions that would come up was "Had we found Barbara?". Over the past 3 years we've traded countless emails, had many wonderful phone calls, gotten to know several of the cast, and now feel fortunate to call them our friends. Our conversations have gone beyond just the Aquarama these days, but many times at the end of a phone call one of us would ask the other "Any news on Barbara?".

A few weeks ago we got a call from Ann Johl with news we couldn't believe - she had spoken with Barbara! Ann worked out a time for Marc and Barbara to catch up and we waited on pins and needles to hear from Marc.

We were happy to hear that Marc and Barbara had a wonderful conversation and also that Barbara had given Marc her email address to pass along to us. Marc mentioned that Barbara was leaving in the next few days to visit family but she would be checking her email before leaving. We sent Barbara an email to say hello, and here's where the story takes an amazing turn - Barbara was coming to visit family in Oregon of all places and was kind enough to offer to meet us here in Portland.

We're still a bit stunned that 47 years after being such a vital part of Aquarama's history, we not only have the opportunity to talk with Barbara, but that a Michigan Mermaid who performed in Missouri would be sharing stories with us across a table in Portland, Oregon in 2011.

We'd like to say thanks again to Barbara for generously sharing some of her vacation time with us and to Ann for solving the riddle. And to the entire former cast of the Aquarama - thanks again for letting us be a part of the Aquarama family.

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: The Prehistoric Gardens

2011-03-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

We're huge fans of dinosaur attractions here at Vintage Roadside. We've dug for fossils at The Petrified Creatures Museum in Richfield Springs, NY, smiled for days after seeing the animated dinosaurs at Stewart's Petrified Wood outside Holbrook, AZ, and stood in awe at the feet of the world's largest dinosaurs in Cabazon, CA. But until recently we'd been missing out on what has become one of our all-time favorites - The Prehistoric Gardens near Port Orford, OR.

The dinosaurs in the attraction are the work of sculptor E.V. Nelson. He began work in 1953 and based his dinosaurs on "extensive research at the larger natural history museums of the United States: the American Museum in New York, the Field Museum in Chicago, the Denver Museum and many others; and at the Geology and Paleontology Departments of the University of Oregon."

We visited on a rainy, gray day in early March and found the weather fit the setting perfectly - water dripped off of the moss-covered trees and the creek bubbled noisily through the woods. Here's what the brochure has to say about the setting:

"These Rain Forests are different from other forested areas, and are due to several localized conditions...our average rainfall is over 6 1/2 feet per year. This heavy rainfall makes it possible for the Rain Forest vegetation to grow so abundantly: here the ferns grow to gigantic size, many types of mosses hang from the trees, and even the common skunk cabbage develops huge tropical leaves."

The brochure also includes this handy map:

Here are a few of the photos we took on our visit - remember to follow the tracks.

Stinky used to demonstrate how large a dinosaur track would be compared to a full grown human.

Gigantic turtle

Armor plated

Baby Triceratops

No surprise this guy never survived

All of the displays have these great informational signs

Even though it was still early March you can see how tidy the Gardens and trails are as well as the dinosaurs

Stinky once again demonstrates scale

The parrot-beaked Psittacosaurus

A short video we filmed on our visit

If you find yourself heading along the southern Oregon coast we'd highly recommend a stop at The Gardens!

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarama Aquamaid Marion

2011-03-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

We're pleased to share our most recent Aquarama interview as today we catch up with Aquamaid Marion. Without further ado here are some of Marion's memories of her time as a mermaid.

Vintage Roadside: Do you remember how you first heard of the Aquarama?

Marion: Liz Nelson was a good friend and she encouraged me to audition. I was a year younger. Liz lived close to me and drove a big, white Blazer type machine called a Scout but it had a special nickname. We drove to Eldon a lot in the big Scout because it was the place to shop. Very little shopping at the lake. Sometimes we drove to Jefferson City...that was a BIG trip for a little girl from the lake.

Marion 4th from right and Liz 3rd from right. Photo courtesy of Marc

Vintage Roadside: Did you know any of the others from the cast that summer?

Marion: Yes, Liz, Mary, Alice and Michelle. Michelle was a year younger and her brother Bob and I were an item for a short time in high school.

Vintage Roadside: Did you have any water training or experience before the Aquarama?

Marion: Yes, I had lifeguard certification.

Vintage Roadside: It seems everyone who performed at the Aquarama had a favorite routine. What was yours?

Marion: Eating the banana underwater - it was a challenge! I also liked the clown outfit.

Vintage Roadside: A vote for the clown outfit! If you had to choose another favorite which would you go with?

Marion: Besides the clown outfit, the white go-go outfit was awesome.

Vintage Roadside: We've heard stories from most of the Aquamaids that it was a bit of a battle to keep their hair in good shape. Any memories of the effects on your hair?

Marion: I have curly hair and it did a drying number on my hair. But I was young...what the heck, I wasn't worried at the time.

Please note the photo above is a few years after the Aquarama, but we love it and Marion was kind enough to let us post it on the blog. Thanks again Marion! :-)

Vintage Roadside: Any memories of things not going exactly as planned in the performance?

Marion: We liked to pinch the air hose and cut off oxygen and watch each other squirm.

Vintage Roadside: Ah, practical jokes! Any others you remember?

Marion: If I remember correctly, we used to place small buckets of water on top of the door so they would fall over and get you all wet after the show. If memory serves me correctly we did something to Mary one night. Mary was very pretty and always looked perfect before she left the show. One night we got her all wet. She was pretty mad because she had a date that night.

Vintage Roadside: Do you remember Nola Johl?

Marion: Nola was bigger than life. I was in awe of her.

Vintage Roadside: How did your next job compare with being a mermaid?

Marion: Nothing compares to being a mermaid. It was the best job in the world!!!! It was the closest thing to being in "Show Biz".

Vintage Roadside: Not many people can say they were a real-life mermaid. Do you still think about those times?

Marion: I do professional development for teachers and my favorite creation and Powerpoint presentation is called "Don't Judge a Mermaid by the Color of Her Fin." It's about at-risk kids and their special needs. I presented this district wide last month.

Vintage Roadside: When we first talked you mentioned that you had a team leader name that gave a nod to your time at the Aquarama. What was that again?

Marion: At school, they call me "the Mermaid."

Vintage Roadside: Thanks again Marion, it was wonderful to hear about your time at the Aquarama!

Do you have memories of the Aquarama? If so we'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

2011 Modernism Week Vintage Travel Trailer Show

2011-03-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

A recent addition to Modernism Week is the Vintage Travel Trailer Show. In only its second year the show has more than doubled and the quality of the trailers on display is truly amazing. The setting for this year's show was the Riviera Resort.

The line-up for the 2011 show was as follows:

1935 Bowlus Road Chief
1960 Airstream Caravel
1959 Airstream Globetrotter
1962 Airstream Flying Cloud
1962 Airstream Globe Trotter
1961 Airstream Bambi
1960 Holiday House
1950 Airfloat Landyacht
1973 Airstream Safari
1969 Airstream Tradewind
1948 Airstream Trail Wind
1948 Spartan Manor
1958 Airstream Caravanner
1936 Airstream Clipper
1948 Westcraft
1965 Airstream Caravel
1955 Spartan Manor
1948 La Cosse Vacationer

1935 Bowlus Road Chief

Bowlus Road Chief detail

Bowlus Road Chief interior

1960 Holiday House

Whenever the guys from Funky Junk Farms show up you're guaranteed to see something cool.

Stove inside the 1948 Spartan Manor

1960 Airstream Caravel

Interior of the 1950 Airfloat Landyacht

Exterior of the 1950 Airfloat Landyacht

We had a great time at the show and wanted to say thanks again to the organizers, the trailer owners, and everyone that stopped by the Vintage Roadside booth!

See you again next year,

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

6 New Fine Art Photographic Prints Available at Modernism Week 2011!

2011-02-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

We're looking forward to being a part of the Vintage Travel Trailer Show again this year at Modernism Week in Palm Springs. In addition to our Vintage Roadside t-shirts, we'll be releasing six new fine art prints in both 11x14 and 8x10 sizes. We'll also have six of our most popular images available in both sizes.

The six new images are:

The Kaufmann House - Palm Springs, California
The CP Trailer Court - near Stockton, California
The Rancho Super Car Wash - Rancho Mirage, California
The Shirleen Trailer Park - Medford, Oregon
Horseshoe Camp Modern Cottages - Bowling Green, Kentucky
1952 Chevrolet Bel Air

The other six images are:

The Fresno Motel - Fresno, California
The Luau - Fresno, California
Stinky on the Road - Our mascot along SR 120 in the Sierra Mountains
The Painted Desert Indian Center - Holbrook, Arizona
The Ranch Motel - Rice Hill, Oregon
Joe's Liquor - Rock Springs, Wyoming

Our Chromira prints are produced by a professional lab here in Portland, Oregon and are printed on Fuji Crystal Archive paper. We'll be offering our 11x14 prints matted and our 8x10 prints both matted and unmatted.

We hope to see you at the Riviera February 25th-27th!

Happy February,

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside at the Crafty Wonderland Holiday Show this weekend!

2010-12-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

We hope to see our Portland friends at the Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale this weekend!

This will be the last chance to pick up several of our designs as we're planning something a little different for 2011.

The show is in Hall C of the Oregon Convention Center and is open Saturday & Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Did we mention there's free admission? How about goodie bags?

We'll be in booth #5 for those of you keeping score at home. :-)

Happy Holidays,

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarama Aquamaid Quinetta

2010-10-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

Our latest Aquarama interview features original 1964 Aquamaid Quinetta. Quinetta performed at the Aquarama from 1964 - 1967 and was kind enough to share some of her memories with us.

Let's raise the Curtain of Bubbles once again...

Vintage Roadside: Do you remember how you first heard of the Aquarama?

Quinetta: I was working as a waitress at a restaurant across the street from the Aquarama. Mr. and Mrs. Johl and Marc came in for lunch. I overheard they were holding swimmer tryouts that very afternoon. I took off my apron, told the owner of the restuarant I had an emergency, went home to get my swimsuit, and showed up for tryouts. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't gotten the job!

Vintage Roadside: Wow! That's quite a story. Had you been working at the restaurant for some time?

Quinetta: I only worked there 1 day!

Vintage Roadside: How old were you at that point?

Quinetta: I was 16.

Vintage Roadside: Being a part of the original cast you trained in that unheated, outdoor motel pool. So, was it pretty chilly out there?

Quinetta: It was cold but I was so busy trying to learn to regulate my air so that I could stay in the middle of the pool and learn the routines that I hardly noticed the cold.

Vintage Roadside: Do you remember those first shows?

Quinetta: I just remember being so nervous and afraid I'd forget everything. I didn't forget and after the first show I was so excited that I hardly slept after going home.

Vintage Roadside: In the photo above you're shown performing on the trapeze. That must have been something to learn how to perform on a trapeze underwater?

Quinetta: It was difficult at first. Breath control is the secret. I had to inhale just enough to swing back and exhale while swinging forward.

Vintage Roadside: Did you perform any routines with Marc?

Quinetta: Marc and I swam to "Three Coins in a Fountain". We wore black bodysuits with black fins and masks. The bodysuits were fitted with underwater lights with a switch at our waists. When the music started we switched on our lights, the pool was dark, and all the audience could see were our body silhouettes moving to the music.

Vintage Roadside: Any other routines come to mind?

Quinetta: I was also part of a John Phillips Sousa march. Three other girls and myself hooked up feet (fins) to neck and did a big circle in the pool. When it worked it was wonderful, when someones air hose got caught, well, you can imagine - we gasped for air, broke the circle and headed for the top of the tank.

Vintage Roadside: Did you have a favorite routine?

Quinetta: My favorite was being a mermaid. I had to put the mermaid tail on in the water. I coated the zipper with Vaseline to keep the zipper from rusting and help it zip more easily. The tails were stored in baffles at the side of the pool. I would swim to the baffle, put on the mermaid tail, then swim to a clam shell to wait for the start of the music.

Vintage Roadside: Do you have any memories of Wally & Nola Johl?

Quinetta: I remember going to their home for lunch and to listen to the music for the show. They were very eager to use music that we liked and could swim to. I also remember Mrs. Johl's voice on the underwater speaker reminding us to point our toes or to get with the music. She would often tell us that we did a great job, too.

Vintage Roadside: Looking back how does it feel to have been one of the Aquamaids?

Quinetta: It was great fun! Swimming and making money too - can't be beat!

Vintage Roadside: Were you able to use your mermaid training later on in life?

Quinetta: Swimming at the Aquarama opened many doors for me in later life. During my freshman year at college I tried out for the synchronized swim team and made the team. In 1976 I started teaching swim lessons at the Jefferson City (Missouri) YMCA and eventually became the Aquatic Director.

Vintage Roadside: Thanks Quinetta! We're honored to talk with you.

If you have any information, souvenirs, stories and maybe even worked at the Aquarama we'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form.

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

20 Vintage Roadside fine art prints now available!

2010-10-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

Gearing up for the holiday season, we're pleased to offer twenty of our favorite Vintage Roadside fine art photographs in our Photo Department.

Each photo is available as an 8" x 10" or an 11" x 14" Chromira print on gloss Fuji Crystal Archive paper. We looked at several printing options and were floored by the quality and colors of the Chromira prints. All prints are produced by a professional lab here in Portland, Oregon.

Enjoy the photos - we've got everything from mannequin-eating dinosaurs to fading tourist courts as well as vintage neon signs.

You can browse and shop our Photo Department here.

Have a great week,

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarama Aquamaid Marlen Manzer

2010-10-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

We're thrilled to present the latest in our series of interviews with the former Aquamaids and Aqualads of Missouri's Aquarama.

Today we're talking with 1967 Aquamaid Marlen Manzer.

Vintage Roadside: Do you remember how you first heard about the Aquarama?

Marlen: My dad came home from work one day and told me about it.

Vintage Roadside: Did you know any of the other cast members working that season?

Marlen: Janie and I went to school together.

Aquarama 1967 cast photo. (Janie fifth from left & Marlen second from right.) Photo courtesy of Marc Johl.

Vintage Roadside: Was there an audition you had to go through to get the job?

Marlen: Yes - I remember meeting Mrs. Johl and working in the swimming tank.

Vintage Roadside: In the photo above you're wearing the "Go Go" costume. Do you remember any of the other costumes you wore that year?

Marlen: We also had the Snowflake suit and the Alley Cat suit with tails and big stones on our gloves.

Vintage Roadside: Did you have a favorite costume?

Marlen: I liked the mermaid one the best, but it was hard to get into.

Vintage Roadside: Were you one of the lucky ones with your own clam shell?

Marlen: Yes. If you were looking at the stage I was in the one on the right.

Vintage Roadside: Any memories of your former shell?

Marlen: It was so dark in the shell and you had to use your air hose to open the shell. If it didn't open fast enough you would have to squeeze out so you were in time with the music.

Vintage Roadside: Was there one routine you always wanted to perform?

Marlen: Janie had a single act where she drank from a cocktail glass - one show she could not make it and I got to do the act.

Vintage Roadside: You guys performed two shows a day. Do you remember the night show being any different from the day show?

Marlen: I remember at the night show it was hard to get into our costumes because they were still damp - especially the black tights we used in Alley Cat.

Vintage Roadside: Any other random Aquarama memories?

Marlen: I remember after each show we would have to put alchohol drops in our ears to help dry the water up. Also, swimming at Aquarama made learning scuba diving really easy for me.

Vintage Roadside: Any other interesting Lake of the Ozarks jobs after your time at the Aquarama?

Marlen: The only thing close was modeling for the Tan Tar A Resort Gift Shop. They would have a fashion show on Friday and Saturday nights in the dining room and I also did some modeling for their brochures. They have one of the brochures on display in their "50 Years Celebration" case in the lobby.

Vintage Roadside: It must be fun to look back and realize you're one of very few people that can say "I was a mermaid!"

Marlen: It was pretty special.

Vintage Roadside: Thanks so much Marlen for sharing some of your Aquarama memories with us!

As always if you have any information, memories, souvenirs, or if you worked at the Aquarama we'd love to hear from you. Click here to send us a message.

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

The top 5 questions we get here at Vintage Roadside.

2010-10-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

We thought it would be fun to list the 5 questions we're asked the most here at Vintage Roadside along with our answers. If you have any questions of your own, feel free to leave a comment and we'll see what we can come up with.

Question #1. "What do you guys do in real life?"

A. This is it! We're "Vintage Roadside" 365 days a year. We make and sell our t-shirts, take photos which we share online and also sell to wonderful people (from national publications to that guy you see at the coffee shop on Thursdays), give presentations on bygone mom and pop businesses, write preservation-themed road trip articles, and occasionaly produce limited edition t-shirts for events and businesses with great histories.

Question #2. "Seriously, this is what you guys do?"

A. Really, this is it. This is how we pay the bills. For the past 5 years we've been nothing but Vintage Roadside full time, 24-7. We love sharing the stories behind the mom and pops we feature on our t-shirts.

Question #3. Where do you guys get the ideas for your t-shirts?

A. We have a large archive of vintage materials. We collect just about anything relating to mom and pop businesses, of any type, from the 1930s - 1970s. Everything from 1940s motor court receipts to a 1970s ledger from a North Carolina drive-in theater. Another of our favorite pieces of history is an original notebook containing all the hand-written recipes for a drive in/custard stand once located in Michigan. All of our Vintage Roadside t-shirts come from our collection of original materials.

Question #4. So you just find something you like and print it on a t-shirt?

A. That would certainly be much easier! Actually we have a copyright and trademark attorney that assists us with every item we produce.

Question #5. Why is your mascot named "Stinky"? Does he smell bad?

A. Luckily, no bad smell. We gave him his name after noticing that from certain angles he looks like he's giving the camera a wicked "stink eye."

Stinky Fun Fact: He's road tripped through Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky.

Keep those hands at 10 and 2,

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside size 3XL Limited Edition T-shirts!

2010-10-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

We have exciting news for those looking for a 3XL Vintage Roadside t-shirt!

Answering your requests, we've produced a very limited run of 3XL t-shirts for a selection of our most popular designs. We now have one each available of eight Vintage Roadside graphics. These t-shirts are not available through our website gift shop so we are taking phone orders at (503) 239-6342 and email orders via our contact form -- first come, first served!

Our 3XL t-shirts are the same great 100% ringspun cotton, pre-shrunk, super-soft men's t-shirts we offer for our Small - 2XL sizes. The measurements are:

28" Wide (2" wider than our 2XL)
35" Long (2" longer than our 2XL)

The price is $25.00 each + $5.95 shipping via Priority Mail. Want more than one? We can do that. Let us know and we'll confirm a shipping amount (at USPS cost) for you. Pick up four or more and we'll cover the shipping!

The Chi Chi - Palm Springs, California

The Hidden Harbor - Phoenix, Arizona

The My-O-My Room - Denver, Colorado

Tiki Gardens - Indian Rocks Beach, Florida

Thunderbird Lanes - Ontario, California

Squirrel Lodge Motor Court - Nashville, Tennessee

The Zombie Zulu - Portland, Oregon

The Hula Hut - Tucson, Arizona

Thanks to everyone for their feedback - we hope you enjoy our limited production 3XL t-shirts!

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

503.239.6342

Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarama Aquamaid Dian Sevra - Part 3

2010-09-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

We hope you've been enjoying our visit with 1964 Aquamaid Dian!

In this third and final piece we'll hear more about her favorite performances, what led to the end of her mermaid career, and an epic road trip...

Wally Johl, 1964. Photo courtesy of Marc Johl

Vintage Roadside: What were some of your favorite routines?

Dian: I think my favorite group act was the Circus routine. I believe Marc was the ringleader and the girls would swim in sync together forming different lines and doing stunts. I believe there were swings in one part of the Circus act. It was difficult to maintain your balance and regulate the air flow while maintaining your position in the middle of the glass tank. We had to remain together and at the same height, "swing" together and perform tricks together - something easier said than done, but we seemed to pull it off more times than not!

Vintage Roadside: Did you also perform any solo routines?

Dian: I always enjoyed the scenes where we had "free reign" and could just swim, glide, wave, turn, smile and relax as only a true mermaid can. I loved swimming free-form to the music.

Vintage Roadside: Could you see the audience while you were performing?

Dian: It was difficult to see the audience if we weren't wearing our masks. We could sort of see them but they were blurry forms. When we wore the swim masks it was a different story and could make "eye contact" with individual audience members. The masks let us connect to them eyeball to eyeball - from our underwater world out to their "people" world!

Vintage Roadside: Any fun memories of things maybe going not quite as smoothly as hoped for?

Dian: There is one that comes to mind. We would form a "human circle". One girl's neck would be between my ankles and my neck would be between another girl's ankles and so on, I think we would have 6 or 7 of us forming this circle underwater, and yet, wait, there was more - we would then use our arms together and actually spin the circle around and around! All this while remembering to maintain the circle height to the center of the windows and keep in time with the music! Well one time the girl that had her ankles around my neck kicked my air hose out of my mouth! I tried to maintain my position in the circle as long as I could (without an air hose) but finally had to break rank, and the circle (oops), and swim to the top of the tank. Unfortunately when this would happen all the audience could see was a pair of tangling legs kicking and twirling at the top of the glass tank. Not a professional moment - but one necessary to sustain one's life!

Vintage Roadside: We've heard stories of Aquamaids having their hair turn green. Did you also end up with green hair?

Dian: A downside of the mermaid job was definitely the hair issues! For the most part we were blondes that first year (Barbara was a brunette) and we were asked to let our hair grow as it would "wave" more underwater if it was longer. The chemicals needed for the pool were a bit harsh and we spent hours on end underwater, thus creating a green shiny cast to our blonde locks! When our hair dried it was stiff and broke easily - as I mentioned a bit of a downside! You could pretty much spot an Aquarama mermaid on land by the looks of her hair!

Vintage Roadside: Except for the green hair it sounds like the perfect summer job. Unfortunately you had to leave early that first year. What happened?

Dian: I swam in the original show through July that summer but I developed a huge ear infection. The tank was fairly deep, and for the beginning of some of the scenes we needed to swim and rest on the bottom of the tank before the lights and music would start. With an ear infection the pressure from the depth of the tank really hurt. I would try to swim in from the side, or only rest on the bottom for a few seconds but in the end I just couldn't stand the pressure. The doctor told me I would have to stop going underwater for at least 3-4 weeks, thus ending my mermaid career.

Vintage Roadside: So you still had a month of summer vacation left. Did you end up stuck at home the next month?

Dian: A highlight of this misfortune was an unexpected trip! It was the summer that the World's Fair was in New York City and my parents arranged for me and my two younger cousins to fly to New York and meet up with my other cousins that had been touring Europe in a VW bus. We waited for the bus to arrive via ship and attended the fair for a week, then all piled in the bus and drove cross country...Quite an adventure!

Vintage Roadside: Looking back how does it feel to have been one of the Aquamaids?

Dian: At the time it all seemed fairly normal. All of my friends had jobs around the lake - some sold tickets to the country shows, some worked in gift shops, some were guides at the attractions and others pumped gas for the marinas...

Looking back I think maybe part of the attraction was that it was a glamorous job. I felt pride in being asked to swim in the original season. There was a lot of responsibility given to us to pull this whole crazy idea off - remember, for the most part the cast was from Missouri, and had never seen or heard of a mermaid show let alone perform in one! We pretty much went on blind faith that the show could actually happen. Being young helped, what fifteen year old doesn't think they can do anything? Ha!

Vintage Roadside: Before we go we wanted to ask about your memories of the Johl family.

Dian: I have only fond memories of the Johls, like the Johls my family were transplants. Mrs. Johl reminded me in part of my own mother. I always believed she was a "show girl" at heart. She designed all of our costumes to be figure flattering, colorful and flashy - "when in doubt add a sparkle!!" must have been her theme. Mr. Johl was the perfect compliment to the "sparkly" Mrs. Johl. He was daring to build and undertake such an idea - imagine mermaids in Missouri! He had a vision and with the help of his family was able to see it come true. All in all a great team!

Vintage Roadside: Thank you so much Dian for sharing some of your history with us. It's always an honor to talk with an Aquamaid!

Dian: You're welcome!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarama Aquamaid Dian Sevra - Part 2

2010-09-22T00:14:00.000-07:00

Let's rejoin Dian and the rest of the 1964 Aquarama cast as they complete their initial training for the debut of the Aquarama...

Vintage Roadside: You were lucky enough to have a very special co-worker that first year - former Weeki Wachee performer Barbara Hodgson. Do you remember Barbara?

Dian: Yes, I remember Barbara. She must have been in her early twenties, and with me being 15 she seemed very worldly and glamorous. She had made the trip alone to Missouri to teach and train a group of fledgling mermaids in a few short weeks. At the time, being 15, I neither worried nor thought about anything more than what I would wear and where I would go on the next date, but looking back that was a very large responsibility given to Barbara!

I remember she was so patient explaining all of the plans, the routines, the training, the eating expected and the importance of stretching and excercising to build endurance. I remember we would all sit in the lobby of the Aquarama on a regular basis and stretch together and visit and get to know one another. I'm sure it must have been a lonely time for her and yet she pulled it off! Mission accomplished!

Former Weeki Wachee Mermaid Barbara Hodgson

Vintage Roadside: Before we jump in and talk about the performances we wanted to ask you about the costumes you wore that season. Do you have any memories of the costumes?

Dian: I do remember several. For the most part we wore white two-piece suits and then would put on various skirts, vests, etc. with velcro for fast costume changes! Remember, after a scene we would either swim to the side of the tank behind a partition and change the costume underwater (hooking the costume pieces securely so they could not float away) or we would swim back up the tunnel to the ladder, climb out of the tank to the dressing room, change the costumes very quickly, climb back down the ladder, swim through the tunnel and find our position underwater - Whew!!

The costumes were simple, to convey the idea of the act, but very colorful and sparkly! Much time and thought were put into the creation of the costumes. Mrs. Johl must receive the credit for their beautiful design. They needed to look light and beautiful, yet hold up to being pulled and yanked upon for quick changes. They also had to hold up as they were underwater, then dried, then placed in the water, etc. over and over and over again!

Vintage Roadside: So here we go! Memorial Day Weekend 1964. Do you remember the theme for that first year?

Dian: The show that original year was an underwater tour around the world. You, as an audience member were traveling around the world, and at every port you would dock and scenes of the mermaids in that part of the world would unfold for the audience. I remember a bullfighting scene with a matador and bull, Hawaiian wrap skirts, English Guard's jackets, circus acts from France, etc.

Vintage Roadside: Was there one part you really wanted to perform?

Dian: I always loved the routines with the mermaid tail! That first summer Barbara did that scene the most as it was more difficult than it looked. The tail, of course, was full of water and was sooo heavy! And swimming horizontally, kicking your legs together, maintaining your position in the middle of the glass, waving and smiling was crazy difficult! I just thought it was the ultimate routine though. If you were a real mermaid what could be better?!

Vintage Roadside: Let's talk about the shells. Did you get to pop out of a shell?

Dian: Yes, I maintained residency in many a clam shell! I remember we would climb down a ladder in the dressing room into the darkened tank, hold our breath and swim down a dark tunnel and then out into the main tank and find "our" clam shell. When you were curled up in the lower part of the shell you would grab the strap and pull to lower the shell top then just lay there curled up in the shell patiently waiting for the lights to come on and the music to begin!! Actually with the weight of the water the opening of the clam shell could be difficult as they were heavy. A little trick was to grab your air hose and put it inside the shell as you were raising the "lid" and the force of the air bubbles would assist in the lifting of the shell.

Vintage Roadside: Any other memories of the clam shells?

Dian: They introduced live fish that summer - not sure if they lasted long term? They were the large goldfish that were yellow but also they had icky black ones with bulging eyes. Sometimes you could feel something inside the shell with you and I always hated it when I had to share the interior of my clam shell with a fish friend waiting in the dark for the lights and music to begin!!!

We hope you'll join us for Part 3 of our interview with Dian as she shares more of her favorite routines, what led to her departure from the Aquarama and her thoughts on how it felt to be an original Aquarama Aquamaid.

Jeff & Kelly

Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside Visits: Aquarama Aquamaid Dian Sevra - Part 1

2010-09-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

One of the most rewarding parts of our years-long Aquarama research has been the opportunity to talk with many of the people involved with this unique attraction once located in Osage Beach, Missouri.

We're thrilled to bring you part one of our interview with Aquamaid Dian Sevra - a member of the original 1964 cast of the Aquarama. After months of training for that first season, Dian's career as a mermaid came to an abrupt halt after two months of performing. In addition to her time as an Aquamaid, Dian also performed in local water ski shows and spent time working at her family's resort at the Lake of the Ozarks. Let's take a trip back to 1964.

Vintage Roadside: How did you first hear about the Aquarama?

Dian: Marc (Marc Johl, son of Aquarama's founders) and I were classmates at The School of the Osage.

Vintage Roadside: So the two of you lived in the same school district?

Dian: Actually no. Although I should have attended school in Camdenton, the high school at that time was not accredited so my parents who wanted me to be able to attend college paid tuition for me to attend The School of the Osage.

Vintage Roadside: How old were you when Aquarama came along?

Dian: I was 15 years old.

Vintage Roadside: Do you remember how you landed the job as an Aquamaid?

Dian: I really don't remember the details. I think it was along the lines of - I knew Marc from school...I could swim...and I was willing!

Vintage Roadside: You also lived fairly close to where the Aquarama building was being constructed didn't you?

Dian: Yes, the Aquarama building and parking lot were on the highway right at the end of our lake road.

Vintage Roadside: Were there any other factors you can remember that led to you becoming an Aquamaid?

Dian: One of the main reasons I swam at the Aquarama that first summer is a bit convoluted. I had also been asked to ski in the Tex Bemis Water Ski Thrill Show that year, but being 15 I didn't have a driver's license yet. The Ski Show was at Bagnell Dam, which my father thought was too far to drive illegally, however he didn't seem to mind if I drove to the end of our road and turned into the Aquarama parking lot - so I became a mermaid!

Vintage Roadside: Had you been working at your parent's resort (Robin's Resort) before this?

Dian: Yes, and although they had a yard boy and a maid it seemed like I was on the clock 24/7. I wanted to go and earn my own money and this seemed like the ticket for me!

Vintage Roadside: Did you already know the rest of the cast members that summer?

Dian: Marc and I had 56 students in our graduating class which I think was the largest class up to that point. I believe we also had six sets of twins...weird...anyway, I digress...Living at the lake at that time everyone pretty much knew everyone else.

Vintage Roadside: We've heard about the unheated outdoor pool used for training that first season. Do you remember that?

Dian: Oh yes, I think we were a lot crazy!! We would go to school each day and then after school we would all meet at the pool of a motel along the highway in Osage Beach. I believe it was like April and the water was sooo cold! All of us were good swimmers but this type of swimming was all new to everyone.

Vintage Roadside: One of the critical parts of performing at the Aquarama was using the air hose. Do you remember learning to use the hose?

Dian: We had some sort of generator on the pool deck and air hoses running from it to the swimmers in the pool. A huge part of swimming with an air hose is learning how to regulate your breathing, in part by biting down on the hose with your teeth so you can maintain your position underwater. Too much air, you tended to float, too little air and you sank.

Vintage Roadside: It sounds like holding your position for the routines was one of the hardest things to learn. Aside from the temperature did the motel pool pose any other problems in your training?

Dian: In the motel pool we had to "imagine" where the glass for the tank would be. And then we had to learn the routines. I don't believe we could hear the music in the pool at the motel - another problemo!

Vintage Roadside: Was it difficult learning the routines?

Dian: We had to coordinate our moves not only with the music but with our cast mates. Believe me, swimming and being a mermaid was much more difficult than it sounds. It might sound dramatic and glamorous, but in truth it was very controlled, difficult, challenging and took a lot of stamina and strength!

We hope you've enjoyed Part 1 of our visit with Dian! In Part 2 we'll raise the "Curtain of Bubbles" for a look at those very first Aquarama performances.

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

SCA Conference right around the corner!

2010-09-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

With the Society for Commercial Archeology 2010 Conference less than a month away, we wanted to remind you that early registration ends September 15th! You can find a handy link to register here.

The conference is being held in beautiful NW Arkansas and here are a few of the many great things offered:

An opening reception at the restored Dickson Street Inn
Two bus tours with highlights such as Dinosaur World, Thorncrown Chapel, lunch at the Crescent Hotel, the Sky Vue Cabins and Kopper Kettle Candies.
A full day of roadside-themed paper presentations
A limited edition SCA 2010 Conference t-shirt designed by SCA member Rick Kilby and produced by Vintage Roadside
Closing dinner at the 1902 Powerhouse building

Remember to pack an extra memory card for your camera - we made our first visit to the Arkansas Ozarks last fall and we're still speechless!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Tiki Oasis 2010!

2010-09-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe Tiki Oasis 2010 has already come and gone! Tiki Oasis can sometimes feel a bit like Christmas - weeks of prep, an event that flys by and the next thing you know you're standing in your living room with a suitcase in your hand, sunburnt, a bit bleary and wondering how it all ended so quickly.

Some of you may know that we added a new element to our Tiki Oasis experience this year. We presented a symposium we've been working towards for years on The Aquarama - an underwater show once located in Osage Beach, Missouri. We truly enjoyed having the opportunity to share one of our favorite stories and we want to thank all of you that attended. Special thanks to Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid for being our very amazing guest, and also to Marc & Ann for their friendship and generosity. Look for more Aquarama material coming soon!

Photo courtesy of Michael Contos. Visit him on Flickr here.

Another highlight for us was bringing back a vintage cocktail recipe not served or seen in roughly 40 years. The Aquarama Sling. If you were lucky enough to grab one of the 500 gift bags you received one of our recipe cards. For those of you that didn't end up with a card we proudly offer the recipe below. Bottoms Up!

Here's a quick rundown of how our days went:

Thursday - A great dinner with friends at The Red Fox Steak House (very cool place) followed by the opening party at the Bali Hai. The high point of the evening was Marina's performance with The Tikiyaki Orchestra - wow! You'll see bits of the performance in our video below.

Friday - Our Aquarama symposium, grocery shopping (Bathroom Salad anyone?) and a perfect evening watching the show from the balcony of our room.

Saturday - The Vintage Roadside booth was open for business! We introduced three new designs again this year and had a great day. Saturday night favorites included Charles Phoenix, the Lampshades and a mind-blowing performance by Ape.

Sunday - Rolling out the Vintage Roadside booth for another fun day, and a great poolside set by the Martini Kings!

Here's where some of you head for the airport and arrive home a few short hours later. Us? We load up the car and head 1100 miles north. The plane might be faster, but it's almost impossible to convince the pilot to swing back for another look at that big fiberglass statue!

We enjoyed some time with friends along the way home, enjoyed our first lime flavored Crush, didn't enjoy those horrible cheese chips at a mini mart on Sunset Blvd., almost melted from the heat in Stockton, napped in a few rest areas (Hello Weed, CA!) and that brings us to today - already crossing off the days in our calendar until we can all do it again!

Thanks again to everyone that was a part of the weekend - we truly appreciate it!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Aquarama Update

2010-07-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

For several years now we've been working to put together a history of Aquarama, Lake of the Ozark's lost mermaid and underwater show.

It was slow going until we were fortunate enough to talk with Janie - one of the original Aquamaids. (If you'd like the read the interview we did with her you can find Part One here and Part Two here.) We're beyond thrilled that after talking with Janie we've been able to talk with other past employees, Aquarama visitors, and now a member of the family that created, owned and operated this unique piece of history.

We're looking forward to doing our part in preserving this unique history beginning with our symposium at Tiki Oasis on August 20th at 10:00 am:

Beautiful Girls That Live Like Fish: The Story of Aquarama, World Famous Mermaid Attraction.
10:00 am at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Diego.
Tickets available here.

If you're headed to Tiki Oasis this year we hope you'll join us for our presentation! We'll also have Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid (all the way from Florida) as our special guest to answer any questions you might have regarding life as a professional mermaid.

We'll be working to share what we've put together via future presentations, our blog, and through our Aquarama history section on the Vintage Roadside website.

Also, if you have Aquarama memories to share we'd love to hear from you on the blog or through our contact form located here.

See you soon!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Let's catch up!

2010-06-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Howdy all!

What's shaking at Vintage Roadside you ask? Here's an update of a few of the things we've been working on along with a few things coming up later this summer.

We had our first photography show here in Portland. Thank you to everyone that came down for the opening reception at The Original - we had a blast! And thanks again to those who purchased our art work. We hope you're enjoying the photographs!

We took a short road trip down to the southern Oregon coast. We're suckers for chainsaw carvings.

We were vendors once again at the Rose City Round-Up hot rod show. We've been all three years and this was the best yet!

We've endured endless rainy days to finally get out and shoot a few more things here in Portland. Wonderful to see the 6th Ave Motel neon sign restored.

We restocked our Jet Lanes, Thunderbird Lanes, 29 Palms Roller Rink, Hula Hut & Walters Maroon Ambulances t-shirts.

Here are a few upcoming things for the summer. We'll post more details about these events as we get closer.

The July Antique & Collectible Expo. Over 1400 booths of just about anything you can imagine. We always find that one thing we never even realized we needed.

Jake the Alligator Man's Birthday Party. A Friday night bachelor party followed by a hot rod show and Bride Of Jake contest. We're also designing the limited edition t-shirt for the party again this year.

Hotrod-A-Rama returns this year. One of the great traditional hot rod shows in the NW.

Tiki Oasis. We'll be launching 3 new t-shirt designs and presenting a symposium on the history of Aquarama. Our symposium will also include a very special guest - Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid!

Now that we're caught up we'd love to hear about your summer plans! Any road trips coming up? Eat at a great drive in lately? Win a round of miniature golf? Feel free to leave a comment here or post over on our Facebook page located here.

Hope to see you this summer,

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Come see Vintage Roadside at Crafty Wonderland this weekend!

2010-04-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

Howdy all,

If any of you are planning on attending the very first Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Spring Sale this weekend stop by and say hello to your friends from Vintage Roadside! We'll be there all weekend ready to provide you your first new t-shirt of 2010.

There will be over 200 booths of Portland area goods to choose from so bring your wheelbarrow or possibly a pack mule, although we're not sure of the Convention Center's policy regarding service animals, so maybe leave the mule at home.

What: Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Spring Sale
When: May 1st & 2nd. 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Where: Oregon Convention Center, Hall D. Portland, OR.
How Much: Free admission!

See you there!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Sale at Vintage Roadside!

2010-04-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

We're in the throes of spring cleaning here at Vintage Roadside and have decided we need to make some room. What this means for you is that you can now add our Moonlight Motel and 77 Ranch Tourist Court t-shirts (men & womens) to your Vintage Roadside t-shirt collection for a song. That song would be titled "Sweet! $12.00 + shipping." Limited to stock on hand. Our normal retail price is $20 for men and $22 for women.

First up is our Moonlight Motel shirt. The Moonlight Motel was once located in Independence, Missouri (boyhood home of Harry Truman) and offered telephones, radios, and room controlled heat. You can pick one up for $12 + shipping on our website here.

Our Moonlight Motel shirt is available for both men and women in Navy Blue.

Next up is our 77 Ranch Tourist Court t-shirt. Dallas, Texas' 77 Ranch was the place to stay along Hines Blvd. in the 1940s and offered shady porches and rustic wooden furniture. You'll find our $12 + shipping 77 Ranch t-shirt on our website here.

Our 77 Ranch shirt is available for men in Light Blue and for women in Orange.

We hope everyone is enjoying spring!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Ontario, California - Charles Phoenix, Graber Olives, and Thunderbird Lanes

2010-03-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

Before we jump into our tour of vintage Ontario, we'd like to begin the wrap up of our Palm Springs trip with a few thank you's.

First, a huge thanks to everyone that stopped by to say hello and pick up t-shirts at the Charles Phoenix show and the following day at the Vintage Airstream show. We truly appreciate it!

We'd also like to say thank you so much to Jacques Caussin, Nickie McLaughlin, and Christy Eugenis from the Board of Modernism Week for letting us be a part of the show. We had an amazing time and can't wait for 2011! And a tremendous thank you to Charles Phoenix for spending a Sunday showing us the sights and sharing the history of his hometown of Ontario.

On to the field trip!

Our first stop of the day was at the Ontario Museum of History & Art. Housed in Ontario's second city hall, the museum has a wonderful collection of local artifacts on display. A few of our favorites were the items from the former Hotpoint factory, the Road Ways exhibit, and the neon sign from the former Thunderbird Lanes.

One of the highlights of the Hotpoint display was seeing the great product names once used by the company. Can you imagine the buzz at the dinner party once you announced you were now the proud owner of a brand new "El Stovo"?

Happy Hotpoint. Most famously portrayed by Mary Tyler Moore in the Hotpoint commercials of 1954. We're calling dibs on this outfit for Halloween 2010!

The mighty Thunderbird! When we began our initial research on Thunderbird Lanes as one of our t-shirt designs, we were thrilled to discover the museum now housed the sign. We'd been looking forward to seeing the sign in person and have to say, seeing a 17' wide neon Thunderbird at eye level is quite an experience. (If you'd like to see how our Thunderbird Lanes t-shirt turned out you can click here.)

The museum is open Thursday - Sunday and admission is free. If you're ever in the area it's well worth a stop. You can find more information on their website here.

Our next stop was Graber Olives. In business since 1894, Graber's is the type of place we love to visit. We're huge fans of "factory" tours and the tour of Graber's did not disappoint. Along the tour we saw how the olives were cured, canned, and labeled as well as hearing stories of the people behind the olives past and present. Two of our favorite parts of the tour were the equipment they still use, which dates to the 1940s, and Betty, our tour guide.

Tours are offered throughout the year along with group tours by request. You can learn more about Graber at their website located here.

Below, Betty explains how the labeling machine (over her right shoulder) operates.

A shot of one of their prize winning boxes designed by artist Rex Brandt.

We wrapped up our day in Ontario at Vince's Spaghetti - an Ontario institution since opening in September of 1945 as an open air French Dip stand. According to Vince's website they "serve over 9000 meals a week, over 1500 miles of spaghetti each year, and over 21 tons of spaghetti every month."

Below, Charles shares his tips on making the most of a visit to Vince's with Mrs. Roadside as well as trying to convince her that his dubbing of us as "Jelly" is a win-win for everyone.

After a great day around Ontario we pointed the car north and headed back to Vintage Roadside World Headquarters - with a few detours along the way.

Mini Jake stretches his legs in the pet area of a highway rest stop.

Hope everyone had a nice start to their week,

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Airstream and Trailer Show - Modernism Week 2010

2010-02-28T23:03:00.000-08:00

We were excited to be asked to be a part of Modernism Week's first-ever Vintage Airstream and Trailer show held at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. And while we were there as vendors, we did manage to sneak out of our booth for a few photos. Here's a little of what we saw out there.

The shot of the Ace Hotel below is intended to be used as photographic proof that there are places where the sun is actually visible to the naked eye in the month of February. We also wanted to say thank you to the staff of the Ace - we had a wonderful stay and everyone we worked with went above and beyond. Thanks again for everything!

We were pleased to have the opportunity to spend some time over the weekend talking with John and Steven from Funky Junk Farms. They have an amazing collection of just about everything we love (old signs, vintage cars, vintage appliances, etc.) and one of the finest collections of vintage travel trailers out there. Below is John's 1948 Westcraft.

A perfect 1952 Silver Streak owned by Better Shelter.

The Ace provided a great setting for this vintage Airstream.

One of the highlights of the weekend was meeting John from Scoot Palm Springs. We had noticed people zipping around town on scooters and thought that seemed like the perfect way to see the area. John's company rents scooters for half days, full days, and weekends. You can pick your scooter up at the Ace Hotel or for an additional charge they'll even bring them to you.

In addition to friendly scooter rentals, John possesses mad modeling skills. Below you'll see John in our Chi Chi t-shirt. (Thanks, John!)

A detail shot of Steven of Funky Junk Farm's 1954 Spartan Royal Manor.

Here's the Spartan Royal Manor in all its glory.

We had a fantastic time and want to say thank you to everyone that stopped by our booth to pick up t-shirts, say hello, and offer tips on things to see in the area. We're already counting the days until Modernism Week 2011!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside and Modernism Week

2010-02-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

It's February in Oregon. While we've had a mild winter we've still had our share of rain, gray skies, and temperatures that won't have us grabbing the scissors and making that first pair of cut-offs for 2010 anytime soon.

So...let's load up the car and head someplace warm!

Point B on this road trip will be Palm Springs, California. We're headed down to Modernism Week to host a Charles Phoenix book signing and to be a part of the first Vintage Airstream & Travel Trailer Show at the Ace Hotel.

And away we go.

One of our favorite stops along the way was an antique store and collection located in Kramer Junction, California. The shop features an amazing collection of gas, highway and other random signs along with several vintage vehicles. The shop is located east of Boron at the junction of Highways 58 & 395.

Before we settled in we wanted to see a couple things in Rancho Mirage. First up was the amazing Rancho Super Car Wash. Once part of the Elephant Car Wash chain that stretched throughout Washington, Oregon and California the elephant is one of the few remaining vintage neon signs in the area.

Our next stop was the former Chart House Restaurant. Built in 1978, this was one of several Chart House buildings designed by Kendrick Bangs Kellogg who also designed the Doolittle residence in Joshua Tree.

The restaurant is currently closed but there are signs stating that a new establishment will be "opening soon".

We were able to get down to the area a day early and had the pleasure of spending an afternoon and evening with friends.

Below you'll see both Stinky and Mini Jake enjoying the late afternoon sun on our day off.

Fast forward a day and here we are all set up for the Charles Phoenix book signing on Friday night. We'd like to thank Jorg and the rest of the engineering staff at the Ace Hotel for setting us up with the great lighting.

Charles had a packed house for his slide show and we'd like to thank everyone who stopped by after the show to pick up t-shirts, books and to say hello. We had a great time!

We'll have our day at the vintage travel trailer show in our next entry.

See you soon,

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Indio Bowl & Hula Hut back in stock!

2010-02-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Just a quick update to let you know we've completely restocked our Hula Hut and Indio Bowl t-shirts in all sizes for both men & women. Operators are now standing by.

Also, if you'd like to be included in our new product announcement emails you can sign up for our newsletter on our website. The sign-up box is in the lower left corner. We send out around 1 or 2 emails a month with new product and restock news and we never share your email information.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

New t-shirt available at Vintage Roadside - The Squirrel Lodge!

2010-01-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

Previously only available at the National Trust for Historic Preservation Annual Conference in Nashville, we're pleased to offer the Squirrel Lodge as our first new website offering of 2010!

We're currently accepting pre-orders and will be shipping all Squirrel Lodge shirts on Tuesday, January 26th.

To place your order and to read more history about Squirrel Lodge please visit our Squirrel Lodge page here.

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside + Charles Phoenix = Modernism Week fun!

2010-01-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

We're thrilled to announce we'll be spending the evening of February 19th at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs as part of Modernism Week. What's going on at the Ace you may ask? An evening with the one-and-only Charles Phoenix! "But wait there's more!", as they say on TV. You'll also be the first to see two brand-new Vintage Roadside t-shirts we're launching as part of Modernism Week. We'll be offering a selection of Charles' books at the Vintage Roadside booth and hosting a book signing by Charles after his performance. We've seen a number of Charles' performances and can guarantee you'll not want to miss this!

Where: The Ace Hotel. 701 E Palm Canyon Dr. Palm Springs, CA
When: February 19th - 6:30 pm
How Much: $20.00

We hope to see you there - it should be a great evening!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Road Trip ideas for 2010

2010-01-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you all had a great holiday season with family & friends and the new year is off to a nice start.

As we begin planning our road trips for 2010 we thought it would be fun to pull out a few brochures we've collected and take a look some places that caught our eye. They're places we've not been to yet, but if we find ourselves in the area they look well worth a stop. If you've been to any of them we'd love to hear your thoughts!

The Museum of Appalachia. Norris, Tennessee. From the brochure:

"The museum opened in the late 1960s with one log building, the General Bunch House, on a two-acre plot. Now it has grown to 65 acres, including dozens of authentic log structures, a large Display Building, an extensive Craft and Gift (and Antique) Shop, a Restaurant, the Mountain Heritage Room, the popular Appalachian Hall of Fame Building, the People's Building, and over a quarter million items."

Where: Norris, TN (16 miles north of Knoxville on I-75, exit 122)
When: Open daylight hours the year 'round (closed Christmas Day)
How Much: "Admission Charged" (exact amount not listed in brochure or on website)
Website: www.museumofappalachia.com

The Hall of Flame - Museum of Firefighting. Phoenix, Arizona. From the brochure:

"Over 100 restored pieces of apparatus on exhibit, dating from 1725 to 1969, in six air conditioned galleries." "1951 American La France Fire Engine available for boarding."

Where: Phoenix, AZ. "In Papago Park, across Van Buren Street from the Phoenix Zoo".
When: Open year round, Mon. - Sat. 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Sunday Noon to 4:00 pm. (Closed on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas)
How Much: Adults $6.00, Senior Citizens 62+ $5.00, Students 6-17 $4.00, Children 3-5 $1.50, Children under 3 Free.
Website: www.hallofflame.org

Lane Motor Museum. Nashville, Tennessee. From the brochure:

"Lane Motor Museum is one of the few museums in America to specialize in European cars. You will be introduced to over 45 different marques representing Asia, Europe, North and South America...definitely not your typical car museum! Lane Motor Museum is a working museum with a goal to maintain all vehicles in running order."

Where: 702 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville, TN.
When: Thursday thru Monday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day)
How Much: Adults $5.00, Seniors (55+) $3.00, 17 and Under Free.
Website: www.lanemotormuseum.org

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

A little of the history behind our Tiki Gardens t-shirt

2009-11-30T16:41:00.001-08:00

We're pleased to announce the "just-in-time-for-the-holidays" release of our newest t-shirt! One of our favorite roadside attractions of the past, Florida's amazing Tiki Gardens.

Below is part of the history section we put together to go with the shirt.

"One of the most well known and successful attractions along the Florida coast was Tiki Gardens, located in Indian Rocks Beach. Owned and operated by Frank and Jo Byars, Tiki Gardens was a destination for more than 25 years drawing roughly 500,000 visitors annually at its peak.

The Byars began their march to the top of the Florida attraction world with $200.00 and Jo’s ability to craft jewelry from local shells. Building upon Jo’s creative skill and Frank’s natural ability to sell, they soon turned Byars Sea Jewels into the biggest operation of its kind. The next leap forward came when they purchased the contents of a closing gift shop and opened the Signal House gift shop and restaurant on Gulf Blvd. On the grounds of the Signal House property the Byars also built a small Polynesian garden as an added draw for visitors.

In 1962, after a fire destroyed the Signal House the Byars focused their energies on creating one of the most fabulous roadside attractions in Florida's history. Reopening in 1964, the Byars came back with an even bigger gift shop and expanded gardens. Tiki Gardens would eventually grow to 12 acres and include 10 gift shops, an “adventure trail” of grass huts, numerous statues of Polynesian gods, live peacocks, and Trader Franks, a 450 seat restaurant which also housed the Wiki Wiki Lounge."

To check out our Tiki Gardens t-shirt and to read more of the history we've posted please visit our website here.

Vintage Roadside bunks down at the Clown Motel

2009-10-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

Aside from our time in Nashville at the National Trust conference we spent each night of our recent road trip in a different motel. We'd usually roll into town way past dark and by lunch the next day it was sometimes hard to remember specific details about last night's motel. Little did we know that our last night on the road would be one we'll never forget.

We began the day in Flagstaff, Arizona with the goal of making it as far north as we could. Our "must see" for the day was in Pahrump, Nevada - one of the last remaining Texaco Big Friend statues (mission accomplished). We hung around Pahrump until dark at which point we decided it was too early to call it a night so we headed north on Hwy 160 up to Hwy 95. If you're familiar with Highway 95 you'll know there's not much out there to see. In the pitch black there's even less. Well, there are deer to constantly watch for but that doesn't necessarily fall into the "fun" category. It also tends to cap your top speed at around 47 mph.

After a few more hours and only one town we decided it was time to find somewhere to call it a night. Out came the atlas and bingo, coming up was the town of Goldfield. For those of you familiar with the town please stop laughing - we'd never been there:-) Ok, strike one. Next up Tonopah. As we came into town our hopes were high based on the fact there were lights on. We took a drive through town to see what our lodging options might be. First a casino and second a very expensive chain motel. As we approached the edge of town there was one more lighted sign before what looked like miles of blackness...

"Does that sign say The Clown Motel?"

"It does"

"Um, how far is the next town?"

"Las Vegas is 215 miles behind us, Reno 240 miles ahead"

"That's really far isn't it?"

"It's almost midnight...We could ask to see a room"

"Seriously?"

We found a spot to park and asked to see a room. The gal working couldn't have been nicer and we were off to take a look at a room. The room was just fine, the rates were incredibly reasonable, and at that point we realized that not every day offers the chance to stay at a motel like the Clown. Since we had arrived quite late it would be the next morning before we had a chance to fully look around. So, here we go!

We immediately found the clown riding the chopper sign to be pretty awesome.

Above each of the beds in our room were reminders that the Clown had moved beyond pastel landscapes for artwork.

The next morning we also took a look out the window to see what the scenery was like.

"Hey, did you see what was next to the office when we checked in last night?"

"No, what?"

"I'm pretty sure it's a cemetery"

"Seriously?"

"And did you notice the hundreds of clowns in the office last night?"

"No, I was too tired"

"You're in for a treat!"

The office features the Clown Motel collection of over 300 clowns. Front and center was this big fella. Our mascot Stinky still looks a little unsure at this point.

One of the many shelves of clowns in the office.

Some of the clown artwork displayed in the office.

Clowns of every imaginable type in the collection.

I have no idea on this one.

And even more clowns!

Next door to the Clown office is the Tonopah Cemetery. It dates to the period of 1901 to 1911 and appears to contain many former Tonopah residents who were victims of mining accidents.

The cemetery seemed to be quite well-cared for and was also very peaceful in the early morning sun.

So, if you ever find yourself passing through Tonopah, Nevada and are in need of a place to stay take a look at the Clown Motel. It might not be your everyday motel but that's part of the fun of a road trip!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside: Arizona to Oregon and home!

2009-10-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

With one monster day of driving - 20 hours of exploring covering over 840 miles - we're home at last in Portland.

What a road trip! The people, the places, and the sights are unforgettable. We could head back out on the road again in the morning, but instead will wrap up this year's National Preservation Conference road trip blog with highlights from the journey home - New Mexico to Oregon.

We left off the last blog with photos from Clayton, New Mexico and kick off today's post in Gallup, New Mexico.

Driving through Gallup, we stopped by to visit an old friend still standing astride a garage just off of Route 66. (For a more in-depth look at Route 66, please take a look at last year's road trip highlighting over 50 preservation projects from Topock, Arizona to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Route 66 road trip.)

Crossing into Arizona, we stopped for longer than planned to explore two very different dinosaur-themed roadside attractions.

Taking Exit 303 heading west, we stopped first at Stewart's.

With mechanically animated creations decorated withe mannequin body parts and live biting ostriches around the side, Stewart's definitely qualifies as old school. The gentleman who works in the gift shop was great and made sure we didn't leave without receiving our free postcard and piece of petrified wood.

Just across the road by way of an underpass, we stopped next at the Painted Desert Indian Center. The dinosaurs were receiving a fresh coat of paint and looked spectacular in the sun.

Mascot sighting - Get out of there, Stinky!

Backtracking about seven miles east, we did something we've always wanted to do and took a natural beauty break to explore the Petrified Forest National Park. Friendly staff, reasonable admission ($10 per car good for seven days), and phenomenal landscape and history - we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

We had a healthy appetite after leaving the park so headed to Joe & Aggie's cafe in Holbrook, hoping to see Christopher, a friend we made during last year's Route 66 road trip. Luck was with us and Christopher was working the night shift with Steven cooking in the kitchen. Thanks again to you both for the conversation and great food!

Having dropped a little behind with our detour to Petrified Forest, we had to scoot through the rest of Arizona but did catch this final photo of the Western Hills Motel in Flagstaff.

On to Nevada with a stop in Pahrump to see one of the last Texaco Big Friends in existence followed by a night at one of the most interesting places we've ever spent the night: the Clown Motel in Tonopah (worthy of its own blog so keep an eye out for our post coming up shortly with lots of interior and exterior photos).

Up Highway 95 in Mina, we found a beautiful old sign for Sue's Motel.

In Hawthorne, we found a treasure trove of signs including Astro Wash, Joe's Tavern, and the funky Cinadome Theatre.

Working our way toward Reno and our connection home (Hwy 395 to 139 in Susanville), we took our final photos for the day in Fallon, Nevada.

Fallon Theatre:

I.H. Kent Co.:

Close to 6000 miles and 20 days logged on the road with a fantastic stop in the middle for the National Preservation Conference in Nashville and we're home at last!

Thanks again to everyone for their emails, Tweets, Facebook posts, comments and suggestions throughout our road trip - it's been great having you along for the ride.

We'll be taking a short blog break to ship orders and catch up on work in the office, but have some fun road trip follow-up blogs planned - stay tuned!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside: Goodbye Oklahoma and a wild welcome to New Mexico

2009-10-22T00:26:00.000-07:00

Housekeeping was tapping at the motel door as we posted this morning's blog, but we've landed in a new city and are back as promised tonight with a batch of new photos catching us up to date on our road trip home.

Today's post starts in Woodward, Oklahoma and ends in Grants, New Mexico. Unfortunately, things got a little dicey with the lightning and rain after Clayton, New Mexico and we weren't able to shoot any photos on that stretch of the trip. Imagining the storm in Key Largo nicely sums up that leg of the trip.

For those of you who've followed along with us on our road trip blogs before, you'll notice a familiar rhythm: a focus on preservation stories on the way out with roadside sights emphasized on the way back. If you missed our first eight days of travel, be sure to go back to read about some amazing people and places.

Westward Ho!

This defunct motel in Woodward, Oklahoma is currently for sale and comes with a bonus feature - an underground tornado shelter. So tempted...

United Supermarket in Woodward: a popular place to shop with a fantastic rooftop sign.

Found a block off of Main Street in Woodward:

And Main Street itself featuring the Woodward Theatre:

Hardesty, Oklahoma:

Best road sign spotted on the way to Guymon: "Hitchhikers may be escaping convicts."

Fantastic twin arrow drive-in restaurant sign in Guymon, Oklahoma:

We've seen a lot of fiberglass figures in our travels and Tiger Motor Company's sign-topping tiger ranks with the best.

The Longhorn Motel in Boise City, Oklahoma:

Thanks, Felt, Oklahoma 4-H - you always were our favorite!

Random roadside photo on Hwy 412 crossing the Oklahoma panhandle..."Can I keep him?"

And just before the storm settled in, the Nu-Way Cafe in Clayton, New Mexico.

We'll see you tomorrow in Flagstaff!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside: A jaunt across Oklahoma

2009-10-21T09:45:00.001-07:00

After a warm and windy drive across the Oklahoma panhandle, we stopped just east of the New Mexico border to admire a lightning storm to the south of us. It was awesome, spectacular, all of the above...and the same lightning storm and torrential downpour we would shortly have to drive through.

We had originally planned to post a blog last night, but the aforementioned weather forced us to push on, hoping to miss the chance of snow we heard might follow on the heels of the storm. After 600 or so miles of driving, we landed in Grants with the storm behind us and the thought of sleep irresistible.

Which brings us to today's down and dirty double-feature: Eureka Springs, Arkansas to Enid, Oklahoma then Woodward, Oklahoma to Grants, New Mexico.

This blog, as the last, is text light and photo heavy. If you missed out on any of the preservation stories we highlighted on the first leg of our trip - Portland to Nashville - we encourage you to check out the first eight days of this road trip. We promise, you won't want to miss them!

On to the photos -

Eureka Springs, AR - historic downtown:

Eureka Springs, AR - Basin Park Hotel:

Eureka Springs, AR - Crescent Hotel (more on this preservation story later):

Inspiration Point, just west of Eureka Springs:

Springdale, AR:
Tulsa, OK - Daylight Donuts and rush hour traffic on Yale.

Skiatook, OK:

Pawnee, OK - Birthplace of Chester Gould, creator of Dick Tracy! Mural located at the corner of 6th & Harrison.

Perry, OK:

Christmas shopping taken care of in Enid, OK:

Be sure to check out our Facebook page for a fun road trip bonus offer!

Part 2 photos through the Oklahoma panhandle and New Mexico coming later today.

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside: Greetings from Arkansas!

2009-10-19T23:00:00.001-07:00

For those of you playing the home edition of Vintage Roadside Road Trip, you will be moving your Arkansas game piece from Jonesboro to Eureka Springs over the course of the following blog. Our tip: Try not to land on "No Vacancy" - because that's no fun for anyone.

As mentioned earlier, blogs for the trip home will be light in text, but rich in photos.

Following a hearty breakfast of Krispy Kremes and Coke, we spotted this guy staring at us from across the parking lot in Bono so we went over to say hi. Hard not to love a monkey in a bow-tie.

Hoxie, Arkansas:

The drive up to Powhatan Historic State Park:

Recently painted gas station in Lynn:

A beautiful stone motor court on the corner of Cave & Main in Cave City, "Home of the World's Sweetest Watermelon."

A sign with most of the text chiseled off indicated the motor court may date to 1934.

On the way to Batesville on Hwy 167 we stopped for this photo...because Putt-Putt golf is awesome.

Found in Batesville, a Main Street Community

Originally opened in 1940, we understand the renovated Melba Theater now serves the community as a venue for both concerts and movies.

This Place Matters: America's two-lane highways - Hwy 14 through Big Flat.

Hudson's Super Market in Harrison:

And finally, Bluebird Lodge just east of Eureka Springs on Hwy 62.

On that note (see what we did there?), we'll sign off for the night in preparation for tomorrow's great Oklahoma crossing. See you tomorrow!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside