Byways

Mr. Celery celebrates home runs in New Castle County.
Hayward is home to a five-story-tall fish statue.
Gloversville has the country’s only complete glove-making exhibit.

Offbeat America

Hop on any byway or backroad in this great country of ours, and you’re bound to find treasures. Whether it be an unusual local dish or diner, a wacky attraction or a far-out bit of local lore, there’s no shortage of trivial treasures to be found on the road less traveled. For the curiously adventurous, the detour has always been the best part of the trip.

If the Glove Fits

You’ve got to hand it to Gloversville and Johnstown, N.Y.

The nearby towns were once known as the “Glove Cities” because of their role as the center of this country’s leather industry.

For more than 200 years, leather manufacturing has been a vital part of Fulton County. Today, you can still buy handmade gloves at one of the many factory outlet stores.

Want to learn more? Visit the Fulton County Museum in Gloversville, which has the only complete glove-making exhibit in the country and an early-1900s leather tannery.

A Culture of Sculpture

Go almost anywhere in Cheyenne, Wyo., and you are sure to see them.

More than 30 outdoor sculptures, life-size or larger, can be found throughout the city, adding a dramatic and artistic look to parks and public spaces.

Thanks to a $375,000 investment by the city of Cheyenne and public and private funding, these bronze and stainless steel statues make quite an impression on locals and visitors alike.

Community Spirit, by Rich Haines, was commissioned by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle in honor of annually selected community volunteers in Cheyenne, Wyo.

The most expensive statue is a $45,000 elk at the intersection of Dell Range Boulevard and Yellowstone Road. Other major sculptural pieces grace the Laramie County Health Complex, Holliday Park and Lincoln Park, with names such as Wyoming Wind, Buddies, Splash Down, Dreams of Greatness and Moment of Glory.

G’day, 19th Hole

A little bit of Australia is located in Brevard County, Fla.

The Walkabout Golf and Country Club in Mims opened in February 2003, designed by LPGA tour player Jan Stephenson and noted golf course architect Perry Dye. Stephenson, an Australia native, insisted that the 18-hole course feature an additional 19th hole, which features an island green shaped like the Australian continent.

The 19th hole is a 75-yard par 3, and is used to decide tournament playoffs and match play contests that are tied after 18 holes. By the way, “walkabout” is an Australian term used to describe a relaxing outing.

Hey, It’s Mr. Celery!

Every time the Wilmington (Del.) Blue Rocks baseball team in New Castle County, Del., scores a run, an unusual character appears behind home plate to do a celebration dance.

That character is Mr. Celery, who has been with the Class A ballclub since 2000.

“Our food service provider once did a promotion with a celery stalk, and then we put the costume in storage for four years,” says Chris Parise, director of sales and marketing for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. “We were all meeting one day and talking about doing odd promotions at the ballpark that made no sense, and we thought of Mr. Celery.”

Parise says Mr. Celery became an instant hit with fans who wondered why a celery stalk dances after every Blue Rocks run.

“We never really explained the reason behind Mr. Celery because there isn’t one,” Parise says. “It’s just another fun aspect of attending a Wilmington Blue Rocks baseball game.”

Butter Cow is a life-size animal made of unsalted butter

Fishing Hall of Fame

As visitors mount the stairs into the inside of this giant fish in Hayward, Wis., one-half block long and five stories tall, they must feel like Jonah in the belly of a whale.

If you’re ever in Northern Wisconsin, take the bait and visit the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Hayward, where huge statues of fish decorate the grounds, and everyone wants to get their picture taken with the “big one that got away.”

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