Birth Week 1976 Local Landmark # 5: Erector Set, Everett, WA Sculpture celebration: April 29, 1976. The day before I was born!

I had hoped to find more information about this fascinating installation in downtown Everett, but could find almost nothing besides the fact that it was installed in 1976. I even emailed the Seattle Public Library and in a quite unusual turn of events, they could find almost nothing more either, and noted that something was likely mentioned in the Everett Herald at the time, but the digital version going back to 1901 is only available to Everett Public Library patrons, and only if they visit one of their libraries in person. Well I'm not a member of the Everett Public Library, goddammit!

You know what? I should have asked my friends Lynn and Zephyr, Everett residents (and in the case of Zephyr, an Everett native) if they were Everett Public Library members. I didn't even think to! I was too busy getting to the Kingston Ferry too late, having to wait an hour for the next one, and not getting to their place in Everett on Sunday until 2:40—all just to get a look at this Erector Set piece, which quite frustratingly has no information plack posted anywhere near it. We looked! Zephyr did tell me they deck it out for the holidays and even suspend a Christmas Tree above the center of it. I guess I'll have to come back in eight months just so I can pad out my rather small photo album for this visit.

Oh! The response from the Seattle Public Library did offer this minor detail: "I contacted the City of Everett and, so far, they've only been able to tell me that it was built by a company called Centrecon, now called Ameron." So, props to the Seattle Public Library—they did really try. I love public libraries so much! *sob*

Birth Week 1976 Local Landmark # 6: Surf II, by Stan Wanlass, Marine Park, Everett, WA Sculpted 1976, a "bicentennial memorial to northwest seas and trees."

Lynn happened to find this piece on the Everett Waterfront—just a couple of miles north of Erector Set Downtown—rather quickly when I told her what this year's theme is. I was most interested in Erector Set but thought: what the hell. Let's go look at it! The restaurant we went to for lunch was over by there anyway.

In this one's case, not only is there a plack identifying the artist, but the artist has a website. Very helpful! Apparently this piece is 14 feet tall at its highest point and weighs 40,000 lbs. Also that's Zephyr standing there right behind it, and it kind of looks like he's back there pissing on it, but I assure you, he was not.

[posted 7:08am]

Birth Week, Day Three: "Erector Set" and "Surf II," Everett

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