Sunday, March 17, 2013

Signs of the times


Giant paper clip holds seal of the City of Spanish Fort, Alabama.

We pass this paper clip and seal at least once or twice a year on day trips to various locations on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, Alabama. I do appreciate the creative human spirit that emerges in weird and, to me, wonderful attention-getting examples of advertising.

Giant paint can in Florence, Mississippi. (Photo by Walter Skupien)
One Sunday when we were returning home from a weekend trip, Husband Walter made a stop to take a photo of a king-sized paint can on U. S. 49 in Florence, Mississippi. I had first seen it as we traveled north on the first day of our weekend jaunt.

It was way taller than Hubby or me, maybe Paul Bunyan sized. Walter remembered my interest in the three-dimensional paint and hardware advertisement and ignored drizzling rain to get the picture for me.

A Marietta, Georgia, landmark
“The big chicken” topping a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Marietta, Georgia, is a well-known landmark of the Atlanta suburb. The seven-story, steel-sided structure at the intersection of Cobb Parkway and Roswell Road was built in 1963 to advertise a chicken restaurant that later became a KFC.

 In 1993, a huge public outcry nixed the proposed demolition of the deteriorating landmark. After all, how would residents give directions without referencing “the big chicken”?  KFC agreed to rebuild the entire structure. A better photo is here published by Marietta's online magazine and city guide. 


6 comments:

  1. I adore both f these, but the chicken is awesome, and should NEVER be torn down!!

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  2. Outside of the ad really sticking in your mind, they do make great landmarks when giving directions.

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  3. these are totally cook, my favorite is that giant paper clip... i have seen the chicken before on my friends blog, when they visit his cousin in marietta he always gets another photo of it.

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  4. HaHa, I know about those landmark references. For me turn left at the big chicken is a wonderful way to find your way around. That's one shortcoming of our Federal City, no intersting landmarks unless you are into Civil War Generals. Turn left at the general doesn't have the same cacht, does it? Dianne

    PS thanks for your comments today. Indeed pets are life savers for many older folks. My dog Johnny makes me walk a lot. D~

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  5. I do love a good landmark, and of course, the chicken is my favorite :)

    I'm looking forward to hearing how those "maters" are coming along, too! I'm scared to set mine out yet, because of frost. They are getting huge, just growing in cups in the greenhouse!

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