Local Fun

Let your weird light shine

BSP's first ever quiz

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Matt Cline, from Stone Ridge was the winner of the first ever BSP quiz! He correctly located all the oddball sights mentioned  and won a yearlong subscription to the BSP! Read Kelly's Wright's column below and do the scavenger hunt for yourself.

 

This article is a big shout-out to all the weirdos in our town. And I say “weirdos” in the best possible way. Weirdos like the artists and misfits, the whimsical and strange, the eccentrics and oddballs, the writers (go, me) and the dreamers. I see you. Simply because your light is shining so brightly that I can’t help but see you!

 

I know I’m not the only one who has literally watched every TV show known to man (except “Tiger King.” I refuse to watch that). I’m also not the only one who has attempted every recipe or tried every craft project that I’ve ever pinned on Pinterest. Fact is, I’m better off ordering food for curbside pickup and fizzy bath bombs on Amazon.

 

Truth is, I’m bored and lazy. When left unsupervised, these two things could get me in a lot of trouble. So, instead, I get into Daryl and go for a ride. Yep, I named my car Daryl. Why, you ask? He’s red and it reminded me of the devil. Instead of being cliché and naming him Lucifer or Satan, I thought of “Witches of Eastwick.” Daryl Van Horne was the devil’s name in that movie, and there you go.

 

My loyal readers ::cough cough:: know I love driving around town because it has always been a good source of entertainment. Lately, however, it’s become like a scavenger hunt for oddities. I look forward to what, or who, is around the next corner. I’ve even started a list!

 

Yes, we have a roaming elephant, Tree Santa, and sidewalks to nowhere. We’ve all read those articles, right? Yes, we have a large gnome who was quickly followed by a few smaller, brightly colored gnomes (that look like gummy bears … or gummy gnomes) stuck precariously on the side of a rock. We have an awesome railroad trestle that you can get a shock from if you touch it. We have an outdoor air-conditioning unit from a cave that every one of us has stuck our arms out of the window to feel when driving by. We have waterfalls, mines and trails. All epic things that make our towns amazing. All epic things that everyone knows about. But, what about those hidden gems?

 

There’s a big, fat, Greek wedding house. Or maybe it’s a Versailles mansion. I’m not really sure where it comes from. What I am sure about is that it’s weird. It’s bright pink. It’s randomly placed on a small, normal, residential road. It also looks a little like it’s in disrepair. Like, perhaps the owners decided one day to go back to Greece … or France. I wish I knew because I’d love to go explore. Or, as the authorities would call it, breaking and entering.

 

We have a kaleidoscope house. It’s actually a rainbow house, bus, garage … a rainbow farm, really. It’s not only a fun house, it’s on the most fun road to drive on. The property used to be owned by the artist Katwise, and it’s definitely something marvelous to behold.

 

There’s also a rubber house that used to belong to Willem Dafoe and has a Facebook page. We have driftwood sculptures that look like dragons, spider webs made out of iron, and gates with huge butterflies on them. There are smiley faces on trees and even their stumps. Several local businesses with cute names, like “Tree Juice,” have signs posted on the trees that don’t have smileys. I have also seen a skeleton driving a tractor. Talk about your skeleton crew … wocka wocka. Yes. All of these things are cause for a smile. I mean, really, how can you not?

 

So, if you see a weirdo sitting on the side of a road, or running down said road with a phone in hand, please pay no mind. It’s just me, probably pondering the crazies who live in our town, or seeking out something full of whimsy that has caught my fancy. In other words, I am working. Taking pure delight in all that our towns have to offer.

 

Keep shining, fellow weirdos. Now get out there and explore.