printersdevil78

^^That's really interesting. I've never heard of "Melvin's Amusement Rides" before. I do know the Trimpers owned most of the property in that area at least by the early 1960s. However, I do see at least one incorrect thing in the RCDB listing on Trimper's in that they did have outdoor rides prior to the '60s. I have a 1920s postcard showing the Ferris wheel, and newspaper accounts of a 1930s storm (can't remember if it was '33 or '36) talk about a couple of the Windsor Resort rides toppling over. ^I think Jolly Roger has just been trying to keep up. I never did like it as much as Trimper's, and nowadays they seem to be angling for the kiddie and family crowd more so than the thrill seekers. Of course, that may change with the acquisition of Pier Rides. That park has a good mix of spinners, thrill rides and kiddie rides in an extremely tight space, not to mention the most midway games I've ever seen bundled together in a permanent setting (it's part of the "charm").

It very well may have, though I'm not aware of it, and I didn't come across any photos of it when I was researching my book. I know Playland, down the road, had a Wild Mouse, and when that park closed in 1987, Trimper's and Jolly Roger bought some of its assets (Ghost Ship props for Trimper's and the pirate mascot for Jolly Roger). I wonder if it may have come from there. Thanks for the photo. I had never seen one of those before.

Nope, the only park in Ocean City that charges an admission fee is Frontier Town, and there are no credits to be had there. Thanks for all the positive feedback, everyone. It's always nice to hear people say good things about my home park(s). Though I gotta tell you, growing up riding Trimper's carousel has ruined all other carousels for me. When I was writing my book on historic Maryland amusement parks a few years ago, I called Trimper's and asked if they had any photos of old rides I could borrow. Their PR/accounting person told me all they had were some scans of old postcards one of the Trimper children had put together for a school project (all of which ended up in the finished product). And then she gave me the best quote ever: "When we want to see what our old rides looked like, we just walk out front and look at them!"

As part of my Memorial Day weekend celebration, I took a trip to Ocean City, Maryland, on Monday. The place was bustling, but not as busy as normal on Memorial Day (there was plenty of parking to be had). I blame gas prices. I posted the rest of my Memorial Day weekend adventures on the "Random" board, but since there seems to be a serious lack of OC representation on TPR (none of its parks are represented in the Park Index, though three out of five of them have credits), I thought I'd snap a few shots today at Trimper's Rides and Jolly Roger at the Pier to add to the collection. Enjoy! Last time I was at Jolly Roger (in 2003), it contained just one credit, and this kiddie circus train obviously wasn't it (it was an off-the-shelf Wild Mouse). But when the park is still a few weeks away from opening for the season and you're limited to sidewalk access, you take what you can get. Thanks for reading! Bonus park! Though I didn't visit Jolly Roger's flagship park on Memorial Day, I did pass by there a few weeks ago while on assignment for an online publication based out of Baltimore, so I snapped a couple shots from the sidewalk while I was in the neighborhood. Behold: Jolly Roger himself (a converted Muffler Man, for those of you who follow such things). Here's more of the track, recently repainted to match Jolly Roger's clashing neon purple and green signature paint scheme. Speaking of the Looping Star.... And this is the pier's famous giant Ferris wheel, as seen from the boardwalk, along with a few of the park's other rides, including the Looping Star coaster. And what's that I see on the right? A credit AND a bikini in the same photo? Take that, Big Mike! Of course, some of the theming left over from the previous park owner still leaves a little to be desired.... This was the neatest thing. As you walked by, this skeleton on top of the fun house just looked like a pile of bones-or-something. But then an air horn sounded, and the "pile" jumped up, turning into a full skeleton and lurching forward as if ready to jump off the building and attack anyone who happened to be standing below. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to capture it on, er, pixels; I assume it's set for specific intervals, as this was the only time I saw this gag go off during my short stay on the pier. As tough as it is to get good pictures of the rides at Trimper's, it's even harder at Jolly Roger at the Pier. The rides are so packed together, it's impossible to back up more than three or four feet. Plus I wasn't really thinking "TPR photos" when I breezed through this section, so most of what I have I took for myself. Having said that, here's a detail shot from the haunted house, Morbid Manor. I'm very impressed with the "plussing" Jolly Roger has done to this attraction since purchasing the park last year. ...and--wait a minute, this isn't a copyrighted character! I wish it was, though, because I would SO watch a cartoon called "Bug-Eyed 1950s Disco Police Mouse!" ...and Shrek... ...and Scooby... ...and Popeye again... ...and Snoopy (these were Air Force jets when my dad was a kid)... ...and Wile E. Coyote... ...and Goofy... ...and Spike (Pluto is riding a bumper car next to Spike, but thanks to a "new" awning installed sometime in the past 30 years, he's hard to see/photograph anymore)... ...and Practical Pig... ...and Dumbo (trust me, that's supposed to be Dumbo)... ...and Tom... ...and the Big Bad Wolf (though for YEARS--in fact, right up until reviewing the photos for this TR--I thought this was supposed to be Mighty Mouse's archenemy, Oil Can Harry)... ...and Bugs... ...and Mickey... For instance, there's Donald... These boats used to be battleships in the '50s. Now they're Popeye ships. Actually, there's a LOT of copyright infringement at this park, much (but not all) of it dating back to the '50s. This boat ride has been here since the '50s. It and the adjacent Fairy Whip used to be my favorites as a kid. No pictures of the Fairy Whip, unfortunately; it was full of kids all day. The 1950s firetrucks feature the names of local volunteer fire companies on their backs. As is this 1930s-era ticket booth. I remember watching this crumble for years when I was a kid. It's been restored now for a decade or more. I'd say the results were worth the wait. This 1930s kiddie Ferris wheel is another classic. This 1930s mechanical band machine fills the indoor section of the park with music. Inside are a lot of classic and antique rides, including bumper cars that feature a median to further reduce head-on collisions (and increase wall bumping). Supports for the Tidal Wave surround Wipeout. The Zipper and the Avalanche share space with the Tilt-A-Whirl and Inverter (not pictured) in this corner of the park. The Matterhorn is fun, but the 1970s go-go dancer plywood cutouts on top are looking a lot worse for wear. Fortunately, Trimper's usually doesn't let stuff like that linger too long, which means they'll probably be repainted in the very near future. Of course, the 1970s imagery inside does get a little PG 13.... Love the Himalaya. Each ride takes you forward, then backward, then forward again. For the little ones, there's also an antique mini-carousel. ...and even a dragon! Not to mention a camel, a zebra, a giraffe, a frog and a very unique rocking chariot. Of course, this carousel isn't limited to horses. There's also a tiger... You can't really say you've been to Trimper's until you ride the carousel. Originally powered by steam, it was the second one made by the Herschell-Spillman Co., and the first one, operated at Coney Island, burned. So what does that make this? Yep, the oldest Herschell-Spillman carousel in existence. It's operated continuously since 1902. Know what makes me cooler than you? I actually have this credit! The Sooper Jet has been the park's kiddie coaster since I was young enough to ride it. No adults on board, though, so don't even bother asking. Followed by one of Trimper's more recent additions, the Wacky Worm. Next credit: The Toboggan! The boomerang-style coaster made an appearance in the 1986 movie "Violets are Blue," starring Sissy Spacek and Kevin Kline. But you'd better be quick if you want to grab the credit for yourself; Trimper's just narrowly missed being sold off for condos at the end of last season. Any year could be this park's last. But you didn't come here for dark rides, fun houses or mirror mazes, darn it! You came here for coasters! Here's the biggest name in town: the Tidal Wave. Again, getting a clean shot is pretty much impossible. And here's a close cousin of the fun house, the Mirror Maze. Trimper's added clowns to the entrance this year, making the attraction more "fun" (or scary, depending on your point of view). Trimper's has gotten more PC recently. All the Aladin's Lamp palace guards, like this fellow, sported more ethnic paint jobs until a couple years ago. One of the exterior obstacles. These gentlemen move the bridge back and forth. Ali Baba watches over the entrance. His hands and head usually move up and down, but they were stationary on this day. I hope it's only temporary. A close cousin of the dark ride, Aladin's Lamp is my favorite fun house of all time. It still has its human roulette wheel inside (though tamed down a bit from its early 20th century predecessors) and a spinning barrel at the end. Trimper's also features one of the last remaining Bill Tracy walk-through dark rides, Pirates Cove, added to the park in 1971. It's almost impossible to get a good, clean shot of the entrance anymore--or many of Trimper's other rides, for that matter--because the park has added so many new attractions in recent years. ...complete with "Rest in Peace" signs on the back. The cars are themed as coffins... Theming as seen from the outside. This Audio-Animatronic headless pitchman calls to patrons on the boardwalk, daring them to enter. This 1960s Bill Tracy Haunted House is one of my favorite rides ever. Operated by Trimper's (but not included in Trimper's POP plan), it opened in 1962 and was updated in 1988 when Trimper's purchased props from Tracy's Ghost Ship ride upon the closing of nearby competitor Playland, where the Ghost Ship was located.

This looks like a really cool place! Thanks for posting it.

While many of my fellow TPRers were living out theme park fantasies this weekend, I was busy bouncing from activity to activity with the Maryland Jaycees. And since all of them were "sort of" to "very" photogenic, I thought I'd share. Things started at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, as I prepared for a charity bike ride I chaired in my hometown of Crisfield, followed by a Memorial Day party that evening at a friend's campground in Nanticoke. Sunday I drove to the other side of the state, near the Washington, D.C., suburbs, to help the Gaithersburg-Germantown Jaycees with a fundraiser in Rockville. Then I rounded out Monday with a visit to the beach resort town of Ocean City. At any rate, pictures are much, much better than words, so on to the photos! You'll have to take my word for it, but the guy on stage is Rick Springfield. He still wishes he had Jessie's girl. Dude, it's been almost 30 years. You should be over her by now. Get some therapy. Best name for a port-a-potty company EVER! Statue credit! Right click. "Set as Desktop Background." Another "Big Mike" shot... this time with free pizza! Ladies, I'm still single.... This is where I spent most of my time--behind the beer tent, not in front of it. The Gaithersburg-Germantown Jaycees received a percentage of sales in exchange for staffing the booth. This is also where one of the other volunteers dropped a can of Dr Pepper that ended up exploding and drenching the back of my shirt. It was NOT a Dan-friendly moment. The carnival was Lame (note the capital "L") with three kiddie spinners and roughly seven billion bouncy things. One of those, however, was this cool "Cars" bouncy, so I guess it didn't suck completely. Just mostly. The food was REALLY good at the Taste of Rockville exhibit. I definitely could smell what the wok was cooking! This reminded me of one of the street scenes at Disney's MGM/Hollywood/Pixar/Not Universal Studios. Rockville itself, however, is a beautiful town--at least the parts of it I got to see while driving around for 20 minutes searching for parking. Three hours later, I finally made it to Rockville Hometown Holidays, a massive festival celebrating... well, Memorial Day, I guess. Though exactly how much face-painting, beer, greasy food, cheesy carnival rides and loud music have to do with honoring our veterans is debatable. So basically what this ad is telling me is, "If you use our credit card, we'll give you almost two-thirds of a tank of gas!" I had to stop for gas on my way out of town to Rockville. Funny, I seem to remember regular unleaded here having been just $3.64 a gallon when I filled up on Thursday. I'm sure there must have been a good reason for increasing the price 15 cents overnight.... The city flew flags from its lampposts this weekend, as well. They even decorated the lobby. Downtown Salisbury, Maryland, was decked out for Memorial Day when I drove through on Saturday morning to place our bike ride items back into storage. This is the front of the Chamber of Commerce building, where my office as Jaycees president is located (and currently filled with leftover doughnuts, granola bars and Gatorade). Jay hired a band to play for the evening. Apparently they were kind of a big deal. I think the lead singer appeared on "Hee Haw" once or something like that. Emulating my hero, Big Mike, I even decided to put myself in the TR. And ladies... I'm single! Of course we had to get a group shot with Jay, our host for the evening. He owns the campground, after all. Dave was already grilling hot dogs and burgers by the time I arrived. Sign credit No. 2! And this would be the ferry. After packing up the rest areas and picking up the route markers, I made my way to Nanticoke for the Memorial Day party hosted by another one of our members. Since I was running late (and gas is nearly $4 per gallon), I decided to take a shortcut aboard the Whitehaven Ferry. Sign credit No. 1! Dave, on the other hand, got the normal-sized calzone. Good job, Dave. Travis got the "man-sized" stromboli. The menu claimed it could feed one full-sized man, two ladies or three adults (as long as neither were full-sized men nor ladies, one would assume). Either way, we all agreed the stromboli was probably the only "man-sized" thing about Travis. Joanne REALLY likes pizza! Fortunately, she woke up in time for the after-party at The Pizza Shoppe, a local garage-turned-pizzeria. The excitement was just too much for Kristin. Someone made good use of one of our route markers! My dad suggested we knock on the door of the address listed on the yard sale sign and demand the owner pay "stick rent." ...and even trikes! We also had cyclists riding recumbent bikes... I work with two of these guys. They were among those riding traditional bikes at our event. The one in the middle is a nationally renowned beekeeper. Really. Actually, the outhouse was used at this workshop until the 1960s, when indoor plumbing came to this section of town. The workshop itself once belonged to famed 20th century decoy carvers Lem and Steve Ward (if you don't know who they are, Google them). It was restored in the 1990s and is now a small museum dedicated to their legacy. It was a hit with all the cyclists. We had only the finest restroom facilities for our cyclists! Kristin and Mary staffed the rest area at the Ward Brothers' Homeplace. Fun fact: the sign in the foreground was painted for us by inmates at the local state correctional facility as part of the prison's rehabilitation art program. But who am I kidding? The real draw here was the Accohannock Native American Tribe's famous fried oyster sandwiches, on sale across the street. Riders were especially happy with our rest area at the Marion Fire Hall. I mean, who wouldn't be? Not only did they get free doughnuts and water, but they were met by the smiling faces of Bethany and Angela. Travis and Joanne staffed the rest area at our local senator's office. The senator made it a point to personally stop by and thank them for our efforts in organizing this event. Unfortunately, we ran into some problems at the foot of the bridge that forced us to change the route just a bit.... The route we originally planned would have taken riders over the bridge. In fact, we even used it in our event logo, seen here. The view from the Jenkins Creek Bridge is breathtaking and includes some of the last working watermen's shanties in Maryland. And this one, which I'll probably use as a publicity shot for next year's ride, shows the wetlands near Jenkins Creek. The ride included many scenic views. This one was on the other side of the high school parking lot. Mary: "Geez, we haven't even gotten through the door yet and he's already taking pictures!" And it's definitely a Jaycees event. Registration was at my old high school. Yep, this is going to be one quality bike ride all right. Just look at the penmanship on that sign! We named it the Soft Shell Half Century, after the town's annual Soft Shell Spring Fair, held the next day (a "soft shell" is a type of crab). Cyclists had a choice of riding a 50- or 20-mile route. Don't worry; I also visited two of Ocean City's amusement parks, but I'll be posting those photos on the appropriate "Burlington Coat Factory" board. In the meantime, I rounded out Memorial Day weekend with a trip to the local cineplex to see "Indiana Jones." Now just nine hours before I have to go back to work.... Thanks for reading! One of the arcade walls was damaged last month when the restaurant next door burned down. Unfortunately, this was the wall containing the 1930s Skee-Ball machines. A sign said they would be back by next week. However, they still have these 1950s Fascination-like machines that award tickets based on poker hands rather than bingo. This year's crop of prizes includes Topps baseball cards from 1986! Marty's still has 10-cent claw machines from the '30s, which I loved as a kid. Every time I see them today, they remind me of that Donald Duck short, "Fun Time for a Dime." Say it with me: "This is NOT a credit!" Of course I had to play this one, Pat Sajak being a Maryland native and whatnot. Regardless, I sucked. The coolest thing about Marty's is that they still mix a lot of old games in with the state-of-the-art stuff. And the machines still work! I made my way to Marty's Playland, the largest arcade in Ocean City. Ever since I can remember, Marty's had two huge rows of pinball machines, which made it my favorite arcade ever. This year, however, they downgraded to one row, apparently in an effort to squeeze in more mindless ticket-dispensing "skill" games. This shark also can't think. Because it's been dead for 25 years. But when it could think, its last thought was probably, "Oh crap, I'm bleeding." It's the largest shark ever caught in Maryland. If this shark could think, it would wish it was as cool as Shark Tums. But it can't think. Because it's not real. This was bizarre. The prizes at one of the boardwalk games were life-sized Wizard of Oz plush. Because a stuffed Tin Man is something no home is complete without. OK, here's where I make a confession. I wanted to be like Big Mike and provide some bikini photos in this TR. But unlike Big Mike, I just didn't feel "right" about taking pictures of half-naked total strangers to post on the Internet without their knowledge. So here's the compromise: This is a crowd shot of the beach. The individuals in this photo are dressed in beach attire. If you feel like saving it, blowing it up, cropping it, etc., to find what you're looking for, that's on you. Otherwise, it's just a nice picture of the beach. Ocean City had its flags flying, as well. With the day off on Monday, I decided to pay a visit to Ocean City. with temperatures in the mid-70s and clear skies, it was one of those days that makes me glad I live 30 minutes from the beach!

That should attract the ACErs!

Yes! You know, I was sitting at a stop light at lunchtime today trying to remember what those things were called. How odd that they would pop up in a random TR less than 12 hours later. We had them in gym class, but I could never figure out how to work them correctly. I remember they used to advertise them incessantly on Saturday morning TV.

Man, if the Behemoth/Flyer trip is one-tenth as fun as that video makes Indiana Beach look, I'm in for the summer of a lifetime!

Oh no, nothing like that. Think the other 20 percent....

After nearly 30 years, I think I've finally figured out all there is to know about women: 80 percent of them are psycho. The other 20 percent just want to be friends. Jason "Guess How My Date Ended Last Night" Rhodes

Yeah, the aquarium can be a little pricey. We got our tickets through AAA and paid $19.95 each, but that was without the dolphin show or 4-D theater. With those add-ons and minus our AAA discount, the tickets would have been $29 per person. I miss the good ol' days when, as a student in that area, I could flash my college ID and get in for $5.

^Mystery solved! Thanks, brilinjo. I knew I should have taken a picture of the identification plaque, but the aquarium guide told us it would be on their website. It wasn't. ^^Thanks, RapidsNerd. We didn't see anyone making fudge or taffy or having fun with the audience while doing it. We did see a knife juggler in the public performance area... but he wasn't using the knives to cut sweet, sweet candy of any kind.

No, we didn't go on any of the boats. Most of us had been on them before. We debated walking around the harbor a little more, but by that time the clouds looked really bad, and we didn't want to have to go to the shrimp feast in rain-soaked clothes (though it never did end up raining). I agree, the Constellation is really cool. Below decks it's kind of a real-life version of the Columbia at Disneyland.

The globe-trotting Jaycees took another day trip this weekend, this time to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. No credits to speak of, but if you like fish (or shrimp), this is the TR for you! And we finished up with dessert before our three-hour drive home, ending at nearly 2 a.m. I call this shot "Cake Graveyard." Mostly because I can. Once all the shrimp was gone, we did what we always do when we grow bored at Jaycees banquets--build modernist sculptures out of plates, cups and utensils. Finally, it was time to head to the nearby suburb of Towson (where Elaine from "Seinfeld"--the character, not the actress--grew up) for the Towson Jaycees' 25th annual shrimp feast, part of the proceeds from which went to benefit Pathfinders for Autism. Joanne and Travis joined us there after a long day of geocaching in Western Maryland. The Phoenix Shot Tower was used throughout most of the 19th century to make lead shot for firearms. Molten lead was poured from the top of the tower, through a screen and into a vat of cold water below, creating the lead pellets used to fend off the confederates or just shoot some rabbits for dinner. These paddle boats are the closest thing the Inner Harbor has to a Dragon Wagon. In coaster-speak, the USS Constellation is what would be known as a "woodie." And I'm the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Taney, the only cutter to have actively served during the attack on Pearl Harbor. ...because I get TWO angles in this trip report! Hi, I'm the light ship Chesapeake, and I'm special... Just kidding. I'm actually a submarine. The USS Torsk, to be specific. Grrr! I'm a shark! Um, apparently the gift shop people forgot what state Baltimore is in.... In a textbook example of poor design choices, they didn't put a bathroom anywhere near this exhibit.... He may be in a glass case in the middle of the city, but at least he saved 15 percent or more on his car insurance. "Search the site before posting to avoid duplicate topics or I WILL eat you!" But most of all, Carrie does NOT like it when you point to this sign and say, "Hey look, Carrie, they named a fish after you!" Carrie does NOT like having her reflection's picture taken, either. Carrie does NOT like having her picture taken. This one's a yellow-headed Amazon parrot. This is a parrot of some sort. Just ignore the caption and admire the pretty, pretty colors. The pink one on the left is a galah. The green one on the right is an emerald dove. They also have birds at this aquarium. Come to think of it, all they really need to add are tigers, gorillas and giraffes, and this could be another Animal Kingdom! "...then just take exit 170 to Magic Mountain, and that's where you'll find Jahan." At least this bird still had some feathers on it. It's an Atlantic puffin, for those who like to know those things. This one, I think, was from a seagull. Either way, it made me glad our planned lunch stop to KFC was rerouted to Burger King! Lots of skeletons in this aquarium. This one is from a fin whale caught in the 19the century. It hung from the top of the aquarium and dangled to the bottom. They even had a kraken (or is it a "kray-ken"?). "In the big blue world...." And this is their environment, a simulation of Australia's coral reef. Sorry kids, but this is what Crush is going to look like eventually. Circle of life and all that. And Crush. Can you believe that movie is five years old already? And Bruce... And Mr. Ray ("Oh, science is fun...")... For good measure, we also found Dory... We found Nemo. Now we can all get on with our lives. And a monkey. A golden lion tamarin, actually. See? TPR CAN be educational! ...of fish. And lots... And lots... And lots... And lots... Lots... They have fish. However, this was the attraction we really came to see: the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Believe it or not, this Barnes & Noble/Hard Rock Cafe used to be a Six Flags! In 1985, Six Flags opened an indoor theme park in this building dubbed "The Power Plant." Instead of rides, however, the attractions consisted of hands-on activities and audio-Animatronic shows based on the supposed inventions of an eccentric scientist who died while trying to create an energy source large enough to power the entire world. It closed four years later when Six Flags came to the realization that no one really cared. The building lives on today as a quasi-historic eatertainment facility. Disney opened the first ESPN Zone there in 1998.

Now THAT'S a pickup line: "Hey baby, the rules say I can't be in the same room alone with a member of the opposite sex... so bring a friend tonight!"

Man, Wonder Woman's really let herself go. Wait, is she the one on the left or the one on the right...?

Don't worry, Mike. There'll be PLENTY of bikini shots waiting for you in Ocean City when you reach the Maryland leg of your trip!

1. What do you find most useful about the front page? Major updates at a glance so when I have five minutes to kill between projects (my 'net time), I don't have to waste those five minutes searching to see if I missed anything important. 2. What do you find least useful about the front page? It's all useful. 3. Is anything on the front page confusing? Not in the least. 4. How far do you scroll down the front page looking for updates? I don't. If there's nothing new at the top of the page when I open the browser, I go directly to the forums. 5. How often do you look at the front page? 6-8 times per day 6. How often do you click on the "whatsnew" link? Add me to the club--I didn't know there was one. 7. What would you like to see added to the front page to make your visits to TPR better? Yeah--as if my visits to TPR could be any better! 8. Anything else you would like to mention? Like any thing else you would like to see us add/change/leave alone/etc? Keep the site free and full of photo TRs, and I'll be happy regardless of what the front page looks like. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into making this such a great site.

I'll trade ya! My ex-girlfriend was a nurse, and she made close to six figures. Barbecue judging pays... leftovers. And sometimes you get a pin. Besides, no one ever dresses up like a slutty certified barbecue judge for Halloween.

Thanks! Actually, I'm a certified barbecue judge with the Kansas City Barbecue Society, so I definitely love barbecue! I'm judging at the Maryland state barbecue championship, Pork in the Park, in about three weeks. Can you say "excited"? Memphis was just a test run

I know Elvis was born in Tupelo. However, he considered Memphis his "hometown" since that's where he lived most of his life. At least that's what the recording told us on the tour. There was even a model of the Tupelo house on display to illustrate the point. Then again, what does a recording know? I figure it's kind of like Walt Disney declaring Marceline his "hometown" even though he was born in Chicago and spent most of his adult life in California.

That was cool! I love the hot rods and the Isetta.

Oh TPR board, how I've missed you! The good news is, the reason I've missed you is that I've been in Memphis for the past five days for the U.S. Jaycees' annual year-end convention. For anyone who hasn't visited Elvis' hometown, I highly recommend it. Granted, Libertyland is no more, but there's a ton of other great stuff there (not the least of which is the 24/7 abundance of barbecue and barbecue accessories). Don't believe me? Just check out the photos. Then we attended the after party... six hours before we had to be at the airport to catch our flights home. Thanks for a great convention, Memphis! Cia was also officially sworn in as a member of the U.S. Jaycees board of directors. Incoming U.S. Jaycees President Denice O'Neil gave her inauguration speech that night. Rendezvous ribs! Not until after I took this picture did I realize that every single person at the Rendezvous dinner was a chapter president or higher, on up to two national vice presidents. Though it technically was the Maryland Jaycees' state dinner of the trip, we also invited along contingents from Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. We had the best ribs of the whole trip at Charles Vergo's Rendezvous. We also had the best server, Robert, who proceeded to call all the women "baby" and refer to the short rack as an "itty bitty rib." The next morning we went to the historic Peabody Hotel to see their famous ducks march down a red carpet into the hotel fountain. The ducks would be those little black dots on the carpet. And all those people surrounding the carpet? They would be trying to figure out what ever possessed them to wait over an hour to see that. As was I. Yeah, Cia is kind of short.... Oh, that's right... winning about a billion national awards. I have no clue what these people were doing here instead of visiting Nick Universe at the Mall of America. The U.S. Jaycees threw a "Welcome to Memphis" party at Pat O'Brien's on Beale Street that night, where Delaware Jaycees President Frank felt up our server. But the stars didn't come out until after dark. Yes, that would be Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson you're looking at. They wrapped for the night after this shot, but we also got to see them being towed in a vintage car on a flatbed during a driving scene the next day. They were filming a movie on Beale Street our second day there called "Soul Men." From the Tap Room we got to see a little of the filming. Notice the "marks" painted in front of these actors' feet. The collection of customer mugs at the Beale Street Tap Room. Sadly, our beers just came in plain glasses. The oldest store on Beale Street. We bought $11 umbrellas here the day it rained. Nothing like margaritas at 1 in the afternoon! By the second day, we figured out that these little trolleys were the best way to get around. I guess this is what Disney's California Adventure will look like soon? Doritos--the breakfast of champions! Lots of carriages in the downtown area, including this one with a Cinderella theme. ...then we got to eat it! We tried the peach first, then went back for chocolate. Of course, fried pickles are nothing compared to fried pie. We got to watch them make it at Blues City Cafe... ...is fair play! U.S. Jaycees Minister of Digital Propaganda David learns that turnabout... And the fried pickles are yummy, too! We expected the music here to be great... and we weren't disappointed! BB King's is legendary. BB King's! ...in both directions! Beale lights up at night... And again. For the neon enthusiasts. Beale Street rocks! This view is reproduced in all the Memphis tourism literature. Downtown Memphis also honors Elvis with this giant statue. Elvis is buried in his own backyard. They misspelled his middle name on the marker, but since he was dead, they figured he really wouldn't mind. Elvis won a lot of award while he was alive. He's won even more since he's been dead. These are some of them. Since this was a Jaycees convention, I couldn't leave Graceland without taking a photo of Elvis' 1971 Ten Outstanding Young Men award, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Jaycees. Elvis was so honored by the award that he took it with him on tour wherever he went for the rest of his life. Just in case you forgot who lived here.... But the man did own his own airplane (two in fact). He didn't drink, so the plane's bar was stocked with Gatorade and Dr. Pepper. And it just gets worse from there.... These apparently are the most subdued clothes Elvis owned. The outbuildings contained a lot of memorabilia, including Elvis' three Grammy awards. No photos of him learning how to dance from Forrest Gump, however. And what better place to put a swing set than right next to the firing range? What do Lisa Marie and I have in common? We both had the same type of swing set as kids, apparently. (What, you thought the answer would be that we were both married to Michael Jackson?) ...to ceiling. Of course, not every house has its own pool room. Elvis' was carpeted from floor to wall... And a, um, jungle room. Which was really just a den with a lot of horrible looking furniture and a sickly green carpet. You know, stuff that was all the rage in the '60s. And a dining room... For the most part, Elvis' home was just like everyone else's. He had a living room... The estate belonged to a doctor before Elvis bought it. Yep, one of the most famous houses in the world was purchased second-hand. Look familiar? What first-time visit to Memphis would be complete without a trip to Graceland? Cia posed with it, as well (though she would have had to stand on her tip toes to lick it). Elvis and some of the other famous Sun musicians used this microphone, so of course I had to pose with it. Due to past experiences at the studio, the tour guide was legally bound to give us a verbal warning not to lick it (really). Sign in the Sun bathroom. Elvis' high school diploma is there, too. Lots of neon in Memphis, including this original sign hanging in the Sun museum. No bubba gum or chewin' tobacky on the tour, please. After a long walk through parts of the city we probably shouldn't have been walking through, we finally found Sun Studio, where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and about a million other famous people recorded. Cia stood in the street to get both me and the building in the shot. First stop: lunch! Maryland Jaycees President Cia and I traveled together and were starving by the time we got to the hotel. We stumbled upon Leonard's BBQ Buffet in downtown Memphis, where $8.75 bought all the barbecue you could eat. This was plate one. Plates two and three looked strikingly similar. For the second year in a row, the U.S. Jaycees chose a convention location on the Mississippi River. And for the second year, my room had a great view of it (along with the Hernando de Soto Bridge). Obviously, the hotel knew we were coming....

So what happens when you get a bunch of law enforcement officers, health department officials and Jaycees together at a car dealership on Maryland's Eastern Shore? Why, they host Safety Seat Awareness Day, of course! This was our (the local Jaycees) first time attempting this event, and it was a smashing success. Based on the number of Easter baskets we handed out, we were able to check about 60 vehicles for proper safety seat installation and give away a number of free child safety seats to replace those that had been recalled (usually without the parents' knowledge). As theme park season hasn't quite reached my corner of the nation yet, I thought I'd share a few scenes from today's festivities. As with similar event TR's I've posted in the past, I tried to eliminate the photos where kids' faces could be clearly seen, so you won't see too many children in this series. But trust me, the place was swarming with them for four hours today! And finally, I'm embarrassed to say my little sister thought of and executed this photo. (She's 26, but still....) Mascot fight! 'Sup? "Dancing With the Stars" it ain't. Worst. Air guitar. Ever. Although he did try to steal a car.... No, Carrie, Saul the Jaycees bear is NOT made out of Velcro! High five! Coming soon to a post office near you! Plus we gave away about a bajillion Easter baskets (OK, really about 60, but still...). And beer pong (without the beer). And ring toss... And hot dogs... We had bouncies... ...and we also got on TV! We got proclamations from the city and county... The local fire department brought its mascot-crotch-sniffing fire dog out to play. Ditto. Because mascots in crash test simulators are always funny. As president of the Jaycees, of course, I had to lead by example and take a spin on The Convincer. It was jarring, and I walked off with a little bit of a headache. I think it was made by Vekoma. The Maryland State Police brought this contraption, which simulated a 15-20 mph car crash. They called it "The Convincer," as in "I'll bet this convinces you to wear your seat belt!" This is what it was all about. A sheriff's deputy checked our first safety seat of the day. This wasn't so much to warn drivers to be careful as to let them know they had officially entered the Cootie Zone.