The Joys of Local Pro Wrestling

I have talked about my love of local pro wrestling before.   Here is some footage I have shot over the years of the community coming together to drop kick each other and beat each other with steal chairs.  Enjoy.



The Carpetbagger

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Statue of Liberation Through Christ

What can one truly say about the Statue of Liberation through Christ?  Just take a look.

Hmmm.....I almost feel like I have seen here somewhere before....

Oh yeah!  The Statue of Liberty!   But wait a minute.....

Something is........different......

The Statue of Liberation Through Christ was erected in Memphis, TN in 2006.  It is a "reinterpretation" of the Statue of Liberty that celebrates the merging of religious and patriotic ideals.

Not surprisingly, not everyone loves the Statue.   While it is a secular symbol, the Statue of Liberty is a very important and revered symbol to many Americans.  Some Americans did not approve of the statue being re-purposed as a religious symbol.

Which ever way you look at it is a sight that evokes great emotion, whatever that emotion may be.

While visiting the Statue of Liberation Through Christ, I slipped around back.

I was surprised to find a gate behind that statue leading to a secret door.  I slipped in side to find....what else:  Jesus's empty tomb.

The Carpetbagger

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Gold Mountain: Abandoned and Forgotten Amusement Park

While there is always controversy surrounding the cursed them park of Ghost Town in the Sky, most people don't realize there was a second mountaintop park here in the Smokey Mountains.  I became aware of the lost theme park known as "Gold Mountain" when I came across those vintage post card.

I set out to locate Gold Mountain in the video below.




The Carpetbagger

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The National Bird Dog Museum

There is nothing I love more the getting in my car and heading out to see roadside attractions.  I use www.roadsideamerica.com and some other sources to find places that I may want to visit.  Of course sometimes the best places are ones that you unknowingly stumble upon while out on the road.   While driving through Grand Junction, TN I came across The National Bird Dog Museum. 

Now, I am always a fan of visiting strange and unusual museums, and this seem to fit the bill.  I am always curious whenever I come across these oddly specific museums.

On the outside were statues of famous bird dogs.  I must admit that "Famous Bird Dogs" was a concept that was new to me.

Inside the museum were tributes to the human half of the hunting duos, including this colorful bust.

Here is a display of famous hunter's hunting caps....

Now, I must admit, when coming across the Museum one of my first thoughts was "Do they have any taxidermied bird dogs?"  The answer is: "Yes".  They have one.

Meet "Count Noble" a dog that was hunting birds before your grandparents were born.  He died in 1890 at the age of 11.  He is displayed nicely and prominently in the museum.  

Sadly, there were no other bird dogs immortalized in taxidermy.  They do have a coyote chasing birds, but I don't think that counts.

They also have this Bird Cat....

And here are two bird killing each other.....

The museum actually does have a pretty remarkable collection of taxidermy.

There are a few pieces that are honestly pretty scary.  Check out this unsettling smiling racoon.

Or this other racoon, sleeping in a tub full of moss....

This albino otter that walks on two feet.....

This fox that really scares me for some reason.....

Chaos Reigns

Some sort of wildcat fighting a snake....

And this cat from hell........

It was a great little stop.  Always fun to come across something unique and unusual.

On a side note I later found out my father-in-law actually donates money to the museum every year (he is a dog breeder), but has never actually been there.


The Carpetbagger

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Welcome to Myrtle Manor

I have a fair obsession with Southern Reality shows.  So, when we visited Myrtle Beach, SC I had no choice but to visit the trailer park the is the focus of the reality show "Welcome to Myrtle Manor".  For those of you not familiar with the show, it focuses on several residents of the titular trailer park.  The show focuses on relationship drama, drunken madness, and goofy over the top characters.  The show takes place within a real trailer park, where the people in the show actually live.  They are surprisingly welcoming to visitors and the residents are happy to talk to fans and take photos with them. 

We had a chance to meet several characters from the show:  Cecil, the owner of the park.

His daughter, and manager of the park: Becky.....

And loveable shady con artist "Bandit".....

You are free to walk around and see all the character's trailers as long as you don't start acting obnoxious.

Here is Bandit's beached houseboat with Jared and Chelsea's trailer in the background.

Here is the "Wiener Girls" trailer.....

Here is iconic Silver Bullet trailer that Jared moved into in the first episode.......

Here is Anne's trailer, completely decked out in a Flamingo theme.

And of course the trailer park hair salon:  Tangulls, where the cast has their "Town Hall Meetings"

Check out the video below to see our trip.



The Carpetbagger

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Jack White's Third Man Records

New Video!  The Carpetbagger visits Nashville and Jack White's Third Man Records, home of dancing monkeys and a one of a kind Mold-A-Rama.




The Carpetbagger

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Abandoned House in a Cotton Field

The farming of cotton has long been associated with the South.  While often associated with a troubling past, cotton can still be found growing across the Southern United States.  To me, there is something deeply striking about a field full of cotton.

Up close cotton in fascinating.  While the white fluffy part is as fluffy as you'd think, the husk is shockingly hard, shard and will slice your hand open.

While driving with my buddy on the way to see the World's Oldest Ham, we stumbled across and amazing farm house in the middle of a field of cotton.

The brittle old house was covered with cotton on all sides.

I couldn't help but take a peek inside to find a strikingly yellow room.

A trip upstairs allowed some breathtaking views of the surrounding cotton.

I love that beautiful barn.

Here's a peek through the front window.

The Carpetbagger

I love hearing from people please comment below.  Also, feel free to email me at jacobthecarpetbagger@gmail.com

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Blarney Stone of Texas

Some would think you have to travel all the way to Ireland to kiss the Blarney Stone.  They are dead wrong!  There is never any reason to leave America!

Shamrock, TX wasn't necessarily named after Ireland.  It was simply given the name "Shamrock" with the hope that its residents would have good luck.

However, in 1959 Shamrock's name would help it to secure an actual piece of Ireland's famous Blarney Stone.   The piece was transported into town under the armed protection of the Texas National Guard and entombed in a pillar in a small park, where it quietly sits to this day.

The town must have thought the concrete block in the park wasn't showy enough because they created another more stylized Blarney stone for tourists to kiss.  The thing was, this new Blarney stone did not contain any parts of the original Blarney stone.

While traveling through Texas I had the honor of kissing both stones.  Check it out below.




The Carpetbagger

I love hearing from people please comment below.  Also, feel free to email me at jacobthecarpetbagger@gmail.com

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Check out my Youtube Page where I regularly post videos. 

And I can't forget my Flickr Photostream, where all this got started.