Once again, using the awesome website: www.roadsideamerica.com Jeremy and I were able to track down a few quirky spots in KC.
Most couples have “a song” or “their movie.” This Crockett duo has our “own town” and it’s KC. We ventured out with our dog, KC, who is named after the the city.
This little afternoon adventure is why I love to travel
Big Bull on a Pylon
This is Bob, which stands for “Bull on Building.”
Bob was commissioned by the American Hereford Association for its then-new building in Quality Hill.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicated the fiberglass bovine in a 1953 ceremony.
Bob is almost 12 feet tall and nearly 20 feet long. His horns have a span of about 4 feet. To add to his size his original roost was 90 feet tall.
Bob was designed by Paul Decker and built at Colonial Plastic Corporation of Newark, New Jersey.
Bob was a landmark until the Hereford Association moved. The building’s new owners put Bob in storage around 1997.
In 2002 KC Parks and Recreation moved the bull to Mulkey Square in West Terrace Park.
Interesting side note: Hereford cattle originated in Herefordshire, England and were brought to America in 1817. They are the most common beef cattle in the United States.
Large Needle and Button
“Giant Needle Threading a Button” sits in a small park near the city’s garment district and is a memorial those that worked in the industry.
The giant sewing needle and button was designed by artist Dave Stevens and was dedicated on October 4, 2002.
The needle is made of stainless steel and is poking into a large red button with four holes. It’s about 15 feet tall.
Interesting side note: At one time the Kansas City Garment District was responsible for over 25% of the clothing made in the United States.
Miniature Ballpark
It was once a vacant lot, but now is home to a miniature ballpark.
The area has a small baseball diamond with a home plate, mound, baselines and a left field wall.
In 1920, the building with the O’Neil mural, was the site where the Negro National Baseball League was created, it is now the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center.
The wall has murals of Negro League baseball players and hometown hero John “Buck” O’Neil and the Kansas City Monarchs, who were league champs and leaders in the march to racial equality.
The mural was created by Alexander Austin in 2010. It features O’Neil, Hank Thompson, Elston Howard, Ernie Banks, Willard Brown, Satchel Paige and Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson.
World’s Largest Cap Gun
The World’s Largest Cap Gun is hanging outside a building in Kanas City. Honestly, where else would you expect to find it? Pasadena, TX? Random? Kind of, Pasadena was once home of the world’s largest cap gun manufacturers back in the 1950’s. It was started in 1946 by Talley and Lewis Nichols.
This giant cap gun was created by artist Brock Venti. It hangs over what was once the door to his studio, although he is no longer there.
Interesting detail: The gun includes a “Made in China” stamp
Big Green Head of Charlie Parker
Charlie “Bird” Parker was a famous saxophonist, hipster, founder of bebop and a heroin addict. Apparently, he was not a fan of Kansas City, but that’s where he grew up. And that’s where this huge head can be found in the middle of Parker Plaza, a part of the Kansas City Jazz District.
Parker died watching TV at age 34, the coroner mistook him for a man twice his age. When he died in 1955 his hometown did not give him much attention or respect.
Parker had been dead for 44 years when Robert Graham created this piece titled “Bird Lives.” Weird note: Graham lived in a windowless fortress-house with film star Anjelica Huston.
The giant green face was dedicated in March of 1999, tying Kansas City together with Parker’s jazz and life.
Carvana Car Vending Machine
OK, so it’s not on roadsideamerica.com, but its still cool to see up close. You can see it from the I-435 but we were in the neighborhood. You need an appointment to go inside, so we just stuck to taking some pics from the outside.
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