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roadside attractions and such

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House project camp out. #devilsnight (at West Village, Detroit)

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Accidental trophies & lions mistaken for ponies (Howard Finster's basement).

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House-fixer surveys his never-ending house project (I told him to leave the walls as they are. He said no.).

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Winners! DCFC triumphs. I become a fan. Smoke is released. 

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John Preble’s Abita Mystery House

John Preble is reviving the American dime museum in Abita Springs, Louisiana. He’s a real estate investor turned beekeeper turned painter turned so many other professions, and now claims he’s finally found his calling: spending his days discerning how many license plates on a wall is too many and understanding the art of creative taxidermy. More photos and information here.

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Alone in the House on the Rock

November 2015

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Marche du Nain Rouge, 2016

Detroit, MI

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"The thing that's scary about clowns, is someone who isn't a clown, but thinks they are. The same goes for magicians." - Greg Bordner, owner of Abbott's Magic

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Flowerhouse Detroit: filling a formerly-abandoned city home with flowers for a brief weekend to celebrate flower farms and sustainability.

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"People were afraid of him. He was imposing, and, as a little kid, I was. We were all afraid of him. Just 'cause he was big and wore turbans and bells and ate raw hamburger meat, but he was never anything but kind to us and to our children ."

-Kathy Fussell, describing Eddie Martin/St. EOM - the creator of Pasaquan

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"I love fiberglass. I'm just fascinated with it."

-Harry Thompson, owner of Harry's Grill and Piggy's Ice

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"[I] said I went out in space 'til I got out of the light of the sun, and I said I looked the other way and there was a light, and the skies far ahead of me was a sun... I said the sun was about the size of a match head, and I come out of it and I said, 'Oh God, it come to me.'

"You always wonder how far it is to heaven. When you get out [of] the light of the sun, you’re hardly halfway there, and I told these professors. I said, 'You figure out, tell me how far the sun shines, and I could tell you how far is halfway to heaven.'"

-Howard Finster, from a recorded tape. Above, illustrated on the side of a building in his Paradise Garden.

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"John Henry looked at [a turnip he plowed up] and he could see a face in it, so he drew a picture of the face that was in the turnip and put it in Frank Turner's shop with a $50 price tag on it. The next day, somebody bought it, which amazed everybody, especially Frank Turner and Butch Anthony. So Butch said, 'Well dang if he can do it, I can too.' So Butch started making drawings."

-Fred Fussell, telling the origin story of Butch Anthony's Museum of Wonder

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"It was in dance halls... this was made, actually, to be moved around."

-Dr. Ted Waflart, owner of Dr. Ted's Musical Marvels

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"[My dad, Jungle,] likes costumes. So he has this whole wizard persona. He has the jungle, like explorer persona. His new thing is the steam punk."

-Jimmy Bonaminio, son of Jim (Jungle) Bonaminio, owner and creator of Jungle Jim’s International Market

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"That used to be the old office years ago. I been all over this place with offices. Up on the hill up there at light number two I used to have an office. Had an office right across the road. Another time had one over there."

-Dean Lewis, founder of Old Car City

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"Then a few rocks... [Bernard] painted those metallic blue. You know, like in sci-fi movies. Very crudely painted. He said, 'That’s class style.' He said something like, 'Put style into it.'"

-John Preble, creator of the Abita Mystery House in New Orleans, talking about Bernard Smith's house.