Potash Pete stands proudly across the street from the steak pit and just down the road from Dairyville. Apparently Saskatchewan is famous for its roadside monuments. In fact the Province boasts the world's largest, bunnock, white tail deer and woolly mammoth. You can travel to seventy towns in Saskatchewan to see larger than life statues depicting Santa Claus, kangaroo rats, a Massey combine and even prehistoric creatures. If you cannot sojourn to these places in person then read about these wonders in the book "Larger Than Life" by Robin and Arlene Karpan. Public art on the island is so boring compared to Potash Pete and his compadres. We have The Commerce Canoe and my favourite, The Mattresses as well as Pavilion Rock and Shell (aka paper, rock and scissors). But we have nothing approachable like Potash Pete. We need a monument for the masses preferably erected on the expansive green lawn of the Empress Hotel. What could it be?
Posts
6 comments:
All across Canada there are some pretty astounding monuments. Some laughable and some quite serious. I always loved the big Canadian Goose in Wawa.
Lorac,
I remember seeing the Canadian Goose in Wawa in 1978 on the station wagon tour across Canada. The goose is still there?
I would think the cold and wind would blow down these monuments. They must be pretty hardy (like you Canadians!).
The first thing that came to my mind was a big fat doobie ;-) ... and I don't even smoke the stuff!
I love the 'big things' in Canada. My favourite is the 'world's biggest perogie on a fork' somewhere near Edmonton and Vegreville (home of that huge Ukrainian Easter egg or pysanka).
There is that big watering can in Beacon Hill Park but I'm not sure that it's quirky enough.
Potash Pete kicks ass!
I guess the west coast doobie would be a fitting monument...better than a terrified marmot. I laughed when I read about the perogie. Really? A perogie?
I just saw the watering can a couple of weeks ago. You're right it needs some quirkifying to make to the Larger Than Life Canadian Hall of Fame.
Check out the film "One Week" - there's a wry nod to all large Canadian monuments in the film - it's delightful !
Post a Comment