St Patrick's Day
Automated Dancing Leprechaun
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/10-03-16-001.jpg)
Those of us who enjoyed holiday window displays in the downtowns of our youth seldom saw mechanical displays for holidays other than Christmas, but a couple of display companies tried to market for the rest of the year. This is a leprechaun made by the Harold Gale Display Company (defunct) of Kansas City. I believe that it is not too old - probably from the 1980s - based on parts made of plastic rather than composition. He originally would have held a different green hat in his left hand.
By the way, I can seldom spell "leprechaun" without spell check.
Unlucky Sign
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/06-05-13-003.jpg)
I passed through Joplin, Missouri, the other day and noticed one of my favorite old neon signs was down and damaged.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/10-03-15-004.jpg)
A bartender at Murphy's Irish Pub at 2214 Main Street told me she threw a kid out of the bar, who subsequently decided to hang from the sign, bringing it down. I didn't ask if the young man was hurt, but I did ask about the sign. She said the owner plans to fix it and have it back up. I applaud his decision to do.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/09-03-16-029.jpg)
Here's Ace in his St Pat's finery with the sign last year.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/09-03-16-020.jpg)
I even had to get into the act.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/09-03-17-001.jpg)
Ace paused with Ryan and Ann of Roy's Hickory Pit BBQ in Hutchinson, Kansas. Ann favored springy antennae that day.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/09-03-17-011.jpg)
And here's Patsy Terrell and Sharon Scott, wearing the green.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/10-03-16-008.jpg)
Yesterday I ran across this festive metal bison on a lawn at 30th and Adams streets in Hutchinson. He is often decorated for holidays. I envy his Lucky Charms boxers.
I've always enjoyed blogging St Patrick's Day; maybe because I'm of Irish extraction but don't like beer, I have to celebrate the holiday somehow. Tonight I'm going with friends to Hutchinson's Memorial Hall for a concert. Uncle Kracker is playing; I don't know much about him but someone bothered to bring entertainment to my town, and inexpensively at that, so I'm going.
Here's the obligatory selection of links to previous years:
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/06-03-16-020.jpg)
In 2006 we looked at the historical St Patrick, the Texas town of Shamrock...and then I threw some blarney into Things Irish, and Then Some.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/06-10-25-221.jpg)
If you really want to see a lot of things Irish, and Irish-American, check out 2007's St Patrick's Day Megapost, which takes you from a neon sign in Phoenix to the Irish town of Chapman, Kansas (since devastated by a tornado), to Joplin, Chicago, a flight over Ireland and on to London's Celtic cemetery crosses and back to the US for a few sites on Route 66. I'm really proud of that one, and it was fun to put together.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/08-02-29-475.jpg)
In Happy St Patrick's Day, 2008 we added more pictures of Shamrock, Texas, visited a cool Irish pub in a historic Tulsa Route 66 building...
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/07-09-30-169.jpg)
...and we cavorted with Doxies.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/08-07-17-020.jpg)
Last year I found A Shamrock in Kansas in the hand of St Patrick himself at a lovely church in Great Bend.
As always, may the road rise to meet you!
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/10-03-16-001.jpg)
Those of us who enjoyed holiday window displays in the downtowns of our youth seldom saw mechanical displays for holidays other than Christmas, but a couple of display companies tried to market for the rest of the year. This is a leprechaun made by the Harold Gale Display Company (defunct) of Kansas City. I believe that it is not too old - probably from the 1980s - based on parts made of plastic rather than composition. He originally would have held a different green hat in his left hand.
By the way, I can seldom spell "leprechaun" without spell check.
Unlucky Sign
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/06-05-13-003.jpg)
I passed through Joplin, Missouri, the other day and noticed one of my favorite old neon signs was down and damaged.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/10-03-15-004.jpg)
A bartender at Murphy's Irish Pub at 2214 Main Street told me she threw a kid out of the bar, who subsequently decided to hang from the sign, bringing it down. I didn't ask if the young man was hurt, but I did ask about the sign. She said the owner plans to fix it and have it back up. I applaud his decision to do.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/09-03-16-029.jpg)
Here's Ace in his St Pat's finery with the sign last year.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/09-03-16-020.jpg)
I even had to get into the act.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/09-03-17-001.jpg)
Ace paused with Ryan and Ann of Roy's Hickory Pit BBQ in Hutchinson, Kansas. Ann favored springy antennae that day.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/09-03-17-011.jpg)
And here's Patsy Terrell and Sharon Scott, wearing the green.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/10-03-16-008.jpg)
Yesterday I ran across this festive metal bison on a lawn at 30th and Adams streets in Hutchinson. He is often decorated for holidays. I envy his Lucky Charms boxers.
I've always enjoyed blogging St Patrick's Day; maybe because I'm of Irish extraction but don't like beer, I have to celebrate the holiday somehow. Tonight I'm going with friends to Hutchinson's Memorial Hall for a concert. Uncle Kracker is playing; I don't know much about him but someone bothered to bring entertainment to my town, and inexpensively at that, so I'm going.
Here's the obligatory selection of links to previous years:
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/06-03-16-020.jpg)
In 2006 we looked at the historical St Patrick, the Texas town of Shamrock...and then I threw some blarney into Things Irish, and Then Some.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/06-10-25-221.jpg)
If you really want to see a lot of things Irish, and Irish-American, check out 2007's St Patrick's Day Megapost, which takes you from a neon sign in Phoenix to the Irish town of Chapman, Kansas (since devastated by a tornado), to Joplin, Chicago, a flight over Ireland and on to London's Celtic cemetery crosses and back to the US for a few sites on Route 66. I'm really proud of that one, and it was fun to put together.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/08-02-29-475.jpg)
In Happy St Patrick's Day, 2008 we added more pictures of Shamrock, Texas, visited a cool Irish pub in a historic Tulsa Route 66 building...
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/07-09-30-169.jpg)
...and we cavorted with Doxies.
![](http://www.thelope.com/images/08-07-17-020.jpg)
Last year I found A Shamrock in Kansas in the hand of St Patrick himself at a lovely church in Great Bend.
As always, may the road rise to meet you!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home