Julie's Tacky Treasures

Coal Country Miniature Golf

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:19:15 -0400

Learn about the coal mining industry, and have fun playing miniature golf at the same time! The hazards for the course were created from equipment used in coal mining.

Cat butt towel holder and beer can hat

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:54:13 -0400

I present to you two contrasting tacky treasures. One is as practical as it is in poor taste. The other is as tasteless as the product that it advertises. I'll leave it to you to decide which is which. Go to "Nouveau Tacky" and check out the first two items on the page.

Stuntology

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:02:07 -0400

You don't have to be bored when the power is out, the cable is disconnected, or the wireless goes down. All you need is the book, The Best of Stuntology, by Sam Bartlett. The stunts range from the silly (eating lettuce like a lizard) to the weird (fatigue-based phobia removal) to the amazing (nail-balancing stunt) to the annoying (plastic wrap over the toilet bowl).

Tacky Treasures Road Show 2008 (preliminary report)

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:44:58 -0400

The Tacky Treasures Road Show 2008 was held on June 28. Attendees were encouraged to bring in their tackiest things for appraisal and possible prizes. Five prizes were awarded for the tackiest treasures. There were 27 tacky entries. They were all winners, in a sense, because every single one got a laugh. There was an assortment of prizes, and the first place winner got to choose his prize first. Of course, he chose the fabulous official T shirt of Julie's Tacky Treasures.

Excellent Reading!

Sun, 11 May 2008 21:29:35 -0400

There are two items in the category of books and records for your enjoyment. First, a songbook from the 1950s with advertisements that are real howlers. Second, the good news that my pal Abbie's book, Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage: Classic Advice for Contemporary Dilemmas is now out in German. Next time you are in Germany, ask for Handbuch für Verliebte: Guter Rat vom ersten Kuss bis zum Altar. It's also still available in English.

Utopia...or Bust!

Sun, 4 May 2008 21:45:32 -0400

This book is a sequel to one of my first tacky treasures, Philip Garner's Better Living Catalog. In Utopia...or Bust!, Garner becomes a bit more theoretical in his approach (or more surreal, depending on your point of view).

When Web Sites Collide!

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:46:19 -0400

In today's Monday's News, I reveal that two different web sites that I maintain have converged with a common purpose. I have been working on a project to collect stories, photos, mementos, and more, of the years that I was the Clog Mogul of the D.C. area. These were the years (nine, to be exact) that I booked old-time string bands weekly into various ne'er-do-well restaurants so that my friends and I would have a place to perform Appalachian clogging. I also published a newsletter called "The Daily Clog."

It recently struck me that the Clog Palace would qualify as a Tacky Place if it still existed. And some of the articles I published in The Daily Clog were definitely tacky. Read and enjoy, or at least scratch your head if this is a side of me you didn't know about.

Tacky Places: The Clog Palace

Books & Records: The Doc Stock Banjo Method

I hope you enjoy this collision of two web sites.

Planet Wayside -- Gone!

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:13:18 -0400

I am sorry to say that one of my first designated Tacky Treasure Places is no more. The quirky establishment known as Planet Wayside closed forever in 2006, and the building was razed. A new building has risen in its place, housing Lowry's Crab Shack. It's sad to lose a place with such character, but at least the replacement is an equally beloved local business, which I visited on March 15, 2008.

Tacky Souvenirs and More!

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:08:02 -0400

Souvenirs from Mexico, Vatican City, and a bonus movie with a pencil sharpener. Enjoy!

Mardi Gras

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:25:58 -0400

A little authentic Cajun music in honor of Mardi Gras. I wonder who that singer off-screen is?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoVapgj7k4o

Colds Are Tacky

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:54:14 -0400

One of the tackier ways to be sick is to have a cold with the constantly running nose that comes with it.

The Twelve Tacky Days of Christmas

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 11:56:44 -0400

This is a great sing-along with friends, especially if you have all the actual items to display as you sing the carol.

We Took the Plunge!

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:11:59 -0400

Bob and I were married on November 17, 2007. We decided to commemorate the event in a unique and tacky way.

Tacky Holiday Shopping Tips 2007

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:16:49 -0400

Harriet Carter is at it again, marketing some hilariously useless items for the undiscriminating shopper. The product descriptions just scream "creative non-fiction."

Tacky Wedding Shower

Mon, 8 Oct 2007 15:58:51 -0400

A few weeks ago, the book club I belong to threw me a tacky wedding shower. I'm so glad it was tacky for two reasons.

Enchanted Forest, Ellicott City, Maryland

Sun, 1 Jul 2007 15:58:42 -0400

Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City, Maryland was a much-beloved amusement park that opened in 1955, and closed in 1989. It was a storybook park, and when it first opened, there were no mechanical rides. Kids walked through the park and saw characters from their favorite nursery rhymes and let their imaginations go wild.

Natural Bridge Tacky Treasures

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 20:43:27 -0400

The genius of Mark Cline continues. Check out photos from a recent pilgrimage we made to Natural Bridge, Virginia, to visit Foamhenge, Professor Cline's Monster Museum, and Dinosaur Kingdom.

Tacky Treasures Road Show 2007

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 06:21:15 -0400

The Tacky Treasures Road Shows are held at least once a year, depending on my mood. Partygoers are encouraged to bring in their tackiest things for appraisal and possible prizes.

Casa Grande Trading Post & Turquoise Mining Museum

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:48:17 -0400

What do John Wayne, the B-2 Stealth Bomber, and a four-legged deer lamp have to do with the history of turquoise mining? Bob and I were wondering the same thing. At least this museum had a diorama to die for.

Chevy on a Stick

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 21:36:57 -0400

This is one of the many visual treats I observed during my trip to New Mexico. I could not find a lot of information about this piece of public sculpture, except that it was considered controversial at the time it was erected in the early 1990s in Albuquerque

Tiny Town / BoneZone

Thu, 7 Jun 2007 14:15:37 -0400

Near Cerrillos, New Mexico is a crazily wonderful little folk environment called Tiny Town, also known as the BoneZone. The ostensible mayor of Tiny Town is Tammy "Tatt2 Tammy" Lange, a former tattoo artist.

Mike the Headless Chicken on YouTube

Thu, 1 Mar 2007 06:23:50 -0400

Tribute to Mike the Headless Chicken of Fruita, Colorado: Carolee Rand, guitar and vocals; Julie Mangin, clawhammer banjo and vocals; Robert M. Cavolee, fiddle and vocals; Bob Cantor, percussion, vocals, and chicken dance. Lynda Folwick, videographer.

Song: Copyright 2006 by Julianne Mangin (words) & Carol E. Rand