NEBRASKA
We're not just corn fields ya' know!
Spud
made his debut visit to America's heartland of Nebraska in August of 2014.
He quickly learned why the state is known as 'The Cornhusker State' after
driving past field after rolling field of corn. Rumour has it that many
are lobbying to have the motto changed to 'The Genetically Modified
Corn Husker State' to keep in tune with the times, but that has
yet to pass for approval.
Of course, there is much to see in Nebraska than merely fields of corn.
At the top of Spud's list was 'Carhenge'.
During the fuel crisis of the early 1970s, several of the gas-guzzlers
being produced at the time were culled from the streets and given a much
higher purpose; to be planted in the shape of a celestial calendar in
a remote fertile field of northwestern Nebraska
Unlike it's cousin Stonehenge
in the UK whose true builders remain unknown, Carhenge was the work of
Jim Reinders, a trackhoe and likely a crane. Jim mamanged to pull off
in a weekend what the druids, aliens or whomever took likely years to
do at Stonehenge.
Like the famous stone circle on the Salisbury Plain, the exact positioning
of each vehicle was key, so that collectively, at certain times of the
year, the Henge would mark the rising and setting points of both the moon
& the sun.
While
Stonehenge was configured to align with the Solstices, Carhenge however
would mark two key events far more important to the American populace:
Super Bowl Sunday, and the release date of the Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit edition.
After
wandering around the amazing structure of muscle car trilithons for a
few hours under the sweltering summer sun, the tuber looked to quench
his thirst. A quick flip through his guidebook identified that Nebraska
was the ideal place to do just that - for after all, Kool-Aid
was invented here; in the tiny hamlet of Hastings. The tato jumped into
his car and hastily made his way there for a taste of the delicious drink
at its home source.
As Spud made his way across the state, his excitement grew at the thought
of also meeting one of his childhood heroes: Kool-Aid Man!
After finally arriving at the Perkins Product Company, Spud was given
the unfortunate news that his hero would not be there. Apparently he's
upstate doing a nickel for multiple charges of breaking & entering.
Apparently Kool-Aid man broke through one too many walls and the judge
finally had enough. Even after the giant inflatable pitcher offered up
some fruity beverage in court, the justice still threw the book at him.
The side dish instead made do by taking a walk through the museum to learn
about the history of the magic elixir. Apparently when the drink was first
developed in 1917, the product was marketed as a powder that you could
buy legally over the counter at a drug store, didn't need to chop it up
first with a credit card or razor blade and that you could have instant
enjoyment. Sales
initially skyrocketed until people realized that you weren't supposed
to snort it.
Once it became known that you added water and then drank it, Kool-Aid
found its market and sales returned. To keep the product appearing fresh
and relevant through the years, the marketing department continually pushed
the boundaries by introducing new flavours of the drink. Some tastes were
more popular than others, such as Cherry and Grape. The flavor 'Potassium
Chloride' ranked the least favourite, since it was only preferred by a
small group in Jonestown, Guyana.
Although the birth of Kool-Aid and Carhenge are things to have national
pride for, Nebraskans are likely most proud of their 'saliva sensation':
The
world's largest spitball
Even though that end result was not intended when a group of homeless
youngsters in Omaha's Boys'
Town back in the 1950s began affixing postage stamps to one another,
some 4,655,000 stamps later the group had amassed a 600 pound ball of
solidified saliva.
Rumour
has it that most of the drool needed for the project was solicited from
retainer wearers, rabid dogs and heavy sleepers from around the county.
No doubt this was one of Father Flanagan's greatest achievements with
the boys, as it is displayed prominently in Boys Town.
Show me more travels in the USA!