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Nation's Shortest Subway Gone for Good
| August 31, 2002 |
Fort Worth |
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In March, Texas Twisted reported on the planned demise of downtown Fort Worth's Leonards M&O Subway, an end that finally came yesterday evening.
What had become known simply as the Tandy Subway, the unusually brief rail line took its last ride around 8 p.m., effectively bringing to a close the Shortest Subway in the United States. The final run was about 30 minutes behind schedule.
The 1,400-foot line originally carried passengers from the parking lot along the Trinity River to the Leonard Bros. Department Store. Leonard Bros. was demolished in 1974 to make way for RadioShack Corporation's Tandy Center, but RadioShack kept the subway in service, extending its run to just under four decades.
RadioShack decided to discontinue the services of the historic subway and its parking lot to make room for their new headquarters.
Reportedly, more than 100 people piled onto the platform to catch one last, although brief, ride. |
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Shrunken Head Turns Up
| August 23, 2002 |
Bandera |
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A shrunken head, stolen from Bandera's Frontier Times Museum in March, has been returned home.
The head's disappearance, reported by Texas Twisted in April, devastated the museum's owners, who consider the head the crown jewel of their collection.
Angel Roman, a construction worker, found the head on the side of a road outside San Antonio. At first, Roman thought he had stumbled upon the remains of a baby and called police.
The artifact, which has been on display at the museum since the 1940s, was missing for seven weeks before it was returned to its grateful owners back in May. (Hey, nothing gets by me.) |
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Mistrial Declared in Case of Drunken-Goat Castration
| August 23, 2002 |
Alpine |
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It looks like prosecutors will have to start again in the case against Jim Bob Hargrove, the man accused of castrating honorary mayor of Lajitas and beer-drinking goat, Clay Henry III.
Clay Henry, the third in a line of longneck-loving, office-holding goats, was separated from his testicles in November of last year. According to Steve Smith, the goat's owner, he was giving actress Anne Archer a tour of his resort and wanted to demonstrate for her Clay Henry's imbibitional talent. Smith approached Hargrove, who had been doing some brick work near the resort, and asked if he could have one of the bottled beers Hargrove was enjoying at the time.
Smith reportedly gave the beer to Archer, who then offered it to the appreciative mayor. According to witnesses, Hargrove was enraged that Smith would give one of his beers to a goat and was later heard threatening to castrate the animal. The next morning, someone had done just that, leaving behind a dull paring knife. The missing jewels were later found in a plastic bag inside the refrigerator at the home where Hargrove had been staying.
Hargrove's attorney was trying to prove that Smith had set his client up by having Clay Henry castrated himself and framing Hargrove with circumstantial evidence. Unfortunately, the jury could not reach a verdict and the judge declared a mistrial Wednesday.
Clay Henry III has long since recovered and is drinking heavily, a good sign for both the goat and local tourism. |
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Old Rip Back Home — Shows Little Emotion
| August 22, 2002 |
Eastland |
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The legendary Old Rip, famous for surviving 31 years in a cornerstone, returned to his courthouse home yesterday after spending several weeks out of town.
As Texas Twisted reported on June 9, Old Rip was driven by hearse to Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington for their Best of Texas Festival. Originally planning to allow Rip to stay only a couple of weeks, Eastland officials later decided it was best to let him fascinate vacationers through the end of the event.
The Best of Texas Festival, which showcased many of the most popular roadside attractions around the state, ended Aug. 11. Old Rip was carefully transported home yesterday, though he arrived with little fanfare.
According to Francie Robinette of the Eastland Chamber of Commerce, they were simply unable to line up the people necessary for a ceremony like that held for his departure. "It was a quiet, still-of-the-night kind of arrival," she said.
Old Rip will have just a few weeks to rest up for the upcoming Old Rip Fest, held the third Saturday in September. |
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State Fair Crew Admires Big Tex's Birthday Suit
| August 16, 2002 |
Dallas |
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Big Tex, the World's Largest Cowboy and host of the State Fair of Texas, was assembled to his 52-foot stature this morning for a special fitting.
The 2002 fair marks Tex's 50th birthday, and in preparation for the special occasion, the big man donned a brand-new outfit. It took a crew of half a dozen to put together and dress the enormous Texan in his size 284W/185L jeans and new lone-star-style shirt.
Big Tex was together only for a short time, though, to make sure all was good with his new duds. According to fair spokeswoman Nancy Wiley, "We were just doing a fitting of his clothes today. He's back in his separate pieces [this evening] and the clothes are in the box. We'll put him up on Sept. 27." The 27th marks the first day of the fair, which will run through Oct. 20.
Additionally, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the corny dog, the ever-popular food on a stick that debuted on the fairgrounds in 1942. |
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It's Better to Be Pissed Off Than Pissed On
| August 8, 2002 |
San Antonio |
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Unsuspecting tourists were deluged Tuesday night in San Antonio with a liquid believed to be urine.
The golden shower came as victims were riding one of the many barges that cruise along downtown's famous River Walk. Police believe the culprit, or culprits, somehow obtained an estimated two gallons of urine from a portable toilet and poured it onto tourists as they passed under a bridge. There were three such attacks in as many hours.
The disgusted vacationers were forced to undergo decontamination and to relinquish their clothing to authorities for testing. Needless to say, the victims were ... upset.
Thanks to Kevin Doyle for the story lead. |
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Tuesday Unfit for Bottling
| August 7, 2002 |
Dublin |
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Starting today, Wednesday will be bottling day at the Dublin Dr. Pepper plant.
The Dublin plant, the World's Oldest Bottler of Dr. Pepper, normally bottles no more than one day a week. Until now, that day has been Tuesday, subsequently the best day for tours. But according to Collections Manager Milly Walker, the students who work on the bottling line often have class conflicts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The best solution was to switch bottling day to Wednesday.
While plant tours are offered every day, bottling day is the best time for tours, when visitors can see the plant in action. |
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Tex Tix via Clicks
| August 5, 2002 |
Dallas |
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The 2002 State Fair of Texas is still almost two months away, but if you just can't wait to hold those tickets and food coupons in your trembling hands, you can order them right now from your desktop.
For the first time, BigTex.com, the official State Fair of Texas Web site, is offering season passes, admission tickets and food and ride coupons online. Plus, if you order before Sept. 2, you can get them at discounted prices.
I'll be there; will you? |
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His First Day on the Job
| August 2, 2002 |
Fort Worth |
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 The cranes arrived early this morning, and with them, the press. Man With Briefcase, the 50-foot-tall, 22-foot-wide, aluminum-plated icon of corporate slavery was lifted into place early this morning prompting the clicks and whirs of numerous cameras, including mine.
Downtown's new eye candy was lowered into his precut slot for a fitting and later lifted out again for no ascertainable reason. According to one hardhat on the scene, our Man should be anchored into place before tomorrow and the finishing touches will be put into place over the next few days.
So, as of this evening, Fort Worth may lay claim to the World's Largest Stencil. |
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'Man With Briefcase' Has Arrived!
| August 1, 2002 |
Fort Worth |
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Everyone knows it's a good idea to be early for your first day on the job. Naturally, our reliable Man With Briefcase was sure not to be an exception.
Reportedly scheduled to arrive around midnight Friday morning, Jonathan Borofsky's towering work of art arrived in downtown Fort Worth this afternoon. According to the security guard on duty, the Man arrived around 1 p.m., some 11 hours ahead of schedule.
The guard, a friendly, mustached man who was settling into a long night of making sure no one made off with the 24,000-pound stalwart, eagerly shared with me the many puzzles he was pondering to pass the evening: How will the structure's anchor plates clear the water pipe running across the cement hole prepared to accept the monolith? How could the only 5 existing bits of rebar sticking up from the hole line up with the 12 holes in each anchor plate? Will the hole be filled with cement or will it be filled with water to form a reflecting pool? Is the structure a solid piece of metal or is it hollow, and how much does it weigh?
The overnight guard did offer one practical bit of information, though: the two cranes that will be used to lift Man With Briefcase into place should arrive at 8 a.m. Return here for updates. |
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