Below is a collection of Amusing Data, various information you may not be aware of. The first few are true. The rest, well, you be the judge.
All strapped in? Then let’s pull the lever.
-- Your bologna also has a middle name. The founder of the company was born Oscar Ferdinand Meyer.
-- The current Madison County Courthouse is actually the fourth one to stand on the site.
-- The name “French Lick” refers to the area’s natural salt deposits, which attracted herds of bison.
-- One of the Midwest’s most well-known restaurants, Mangas Cafeteria, was located in Elwood.
-- The former Roosevelt Elementary School at 53rd Street and Madison Avenue was named after Teddy Roosevelt, not FDR.
-- The federal government named the highway “I-69” on a dare.
-- If a person of average height and weight walks the interior of the Mounds Mall at a constant speed of 2 miles an hour for 10 hours a day, that person will lose most of his friends.
-- Due to budgetary concerns regarding official signage, the town of Chesterfield must shorten its name to “Chesty.”
-- Connecting on a map the location of every convenience store in the county spells out the name of a good dentist.
-- Former Mayor Kevin Smith was unable to use the campaign slogan he wanted when he realized that “Skip Ockomon” was the name of his opponent’s brother.
-- Jackson Street was named for actor Samuel L. Jackson.
-- There is no “MHHS” in “T-E-A-M.” Except for the M.
-- Most mullets are, by and large, the result of a wager.
-- Certain local officials initially opposed construction of the 50-foot Nestlé bunny sign because they feared smaller bunny signs would pop up across the county.
-- If you play Sandi Patty’s “Morning Like This” backwards, it sounds like The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.”
-- The area now occupied by Mounds State Park was abandoned by the native woodland people because they couldn’t make the gift shop profitable.
-- There is no official song for this city because nothing rhymes with “Anderson.”
-- Before authorities intervened, the Anderson Moose Lodge served up delicious moose barbecue each summer.
-- In order, after the Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy bridges, the city will name the span north of Mounds Mall the Nixon Bridge. The dedication will be held after the bridge is modified to double-cross White River.
-- Young Andersonians of today will eventually seek psychiatric help for aging parents who insist, “No, really! I worked in this huge factory! Right here! Where this field is!”
Contact Rodney Richey, 640-4861, rodney.richey@heraldbulletin.com. He’s ready to believe you.
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