Special Report

June 17, 2002	Arlington
Six Flags Over Texas organized an unprecedented assemblage of offbeat roadside attractions from across the state and Texas Twisted was there to cover it. The event, held from June 8 through August 11, 2002, even inspired a whole new attraction, the World's Largest Armadillo. For the whole story, read the original headlines.

The World's Largest Armadillo was built specially for the celebration by sculptor Marc Rankin of Strawn. Welded from scrap steel, his body began as part of a concrete-mixer truck.		The World's Largest Fruitcake is created on request by Gladys Farek of Cistern. It weighs 150 pounds and costs a meager $998.00.
Guests stare in befuddlement at 40-year-old Jack Ben Rabbit, on loan from Odessa. He is the World's Largest Jackrabbit at 8 feet tall.		Jackie Huddle cooks up some potatoes in the Largest Skillet in Texas. His partner, Darrel Bundrick, normally builds them at 5 feet wide, but constructed a 7-foot version for the occasion to be sure he had the largest in the state.
Here from Bertram, the late Garrett Wilkinson's Junkasaurus Wrecks, a dinosaur skeleton built from car parts, grins menacingly at park guests with spark-plug teeth.		Guests pose next to a large, fiberglass strawberry, supposedly from Poteet, but never before seen by Texas Twisted. Read the feature on Poteet.
Created for the TNT movie Two for Texas, this nearly life-size Alamo is made almost entirely of styrofoam.		Recreationist Jerry Eastman sadly points out the damage inflicted by mischievous guests.
Celebrity toad Old Rip makes an appearance at the park, as well. Unfortunately, he is hardly noticeable at his location and sits alone with only brochures to tell his story. Read the legend of Old Rip.		Making the furthest trip of all the attractions, the World's Largest Killer Bee traveled over 500 miles from Hidalgo. At home, he commemorates the location where Africanized honey bees first made their way into the U.S.