On the return trip, I noticed that the giant badger had a friend, a giant squirrel on a giant log:
Here they are together:
Being on a tight time frame I didn't stop to see what it was about. I just presumed it was some kind of tourist gimmick for a shop or park, or even a petting zoo. Something for the whole family, no doubt.
On the next trip to the area, I remembered by camera and gave myself a couple of extra minutes to take the pics and see what it was all about.
Turns out I was correct, in a fashion of speaking. It was a tourist gimmick for a petting zoo of sorts, but not one that is very family friendly:
Only in Wisconsin...
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This used to be a gas station with gift shop and game farm. The Badger was behind the log with arm out. My parents would always promise to stop and let us see the animals on our yearly trip down to Milwaukee, but we never did. When I finally became the parent and would make our bi-yearly trip back up north to see Grandma...YIKE, it was a strip club!
ReplyDeleteRoadsideAmerica.com has more: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1425
I'm from up there. At one point, the Badger was atop a futuristic, foamy looking building that was the gas station office. The Badger also had claws. I believe the Badger's head may have been re-created or repaired, as it has been looking a bit different recently whenever I drive by.
ReplyDeleteThe log upon which the squirrel sits -- now enclosed -- used to be hollow and housed the gas pumps! A great place to fill up. The guys who created these giant creatures were written up in a Milwaukee newspaper feature some years ago, and photos of this place have appeared on lists of unusual US places and architecture.