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40. Amazing Places: Popeye's Hometown.

3/22/2018

 
Picture
Original Facebook post July 9 at 1:15 PM

When I was a kid, Popeye was one of my favorite characters. If memory serves me correctly, the cartoons played on local Detroit, MI shows with hosts Captain Jolly and Poopdeck Paul.  I was so obsessed with the fact that he could eat spinach and immediately grow huge biceps that I asked my parents to serve it at meals and to get me a Popeye hat and pipe. Unfortunately, my arms didn't grow exponentially after choking spinach down. However, I did develop a brief, but decent impression of Popeye and a so-so one of woman with the world's greatest metabolism, Olive Oyl that I still do occasionally. So yeah, I was obsessed. 

With that as a backdrop, you can imagine my delight when I crossed the bridge from Missouri to Illinois and was greeted by the sign, "Welcome To CHESTER, home of Popeye". At first, I was going to just drive through it, but my inner 9 year old wouldn't hear such crazy talk. So I got out and began photographing some of the many statues of main characters like Bluto (the original poster man for bullying) and Wimpy (who had a hamburger eating disorder), and some of the abundant artwork all over the Popeye Character Trail. That lead me to go into Spinach Can Collectables/Popeye Museum - the very building where the comic strip was born - and meet the co-owner, Debbie Brooks. She told me her incredible connection to the character started when she was kidnapped as a child, rescued before any dire harm came to her, and told adults she, "stayed strong like Popeye".

Fast forward many years later and she and her husband, Mike, began a drive to put Popeye's hometown of Chester on the cartoon map. And today, the characters - which creator, Elzie Crisler Segar based on local townspeople  - are so much a part of the town's culture that even the police and fire departments now sport Popeye emblems. 

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About Me: When I'm not authoring Encouraging Words or gathering Stories From The Road Les Traveled, I am a Dad, Granddad, writer, photographer, marketer and trainer who calls Arizona home. To learn more, see my  Blog, Books, Gigs and Photos at  www.LesManess.com. 

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  • Home
  • Stories
  • Gigs
  • Photos
    • Amazing Faces
    • Photo Galleries >
      • Kerrie Droban
  • Topics
    • Health >
      • Muscle Memories
      • Arizona Muscle
      • Muscle & Fitness
      • Muscle Beach AZ
      • Muscle Legends
      • Muacle-laneous
    • Humor
    • Encouragement
    • Travel >
      • Canada
      • Italy
      • East USA
      • Midwest USA
      • Northwest USA
      • Southwest USA
      • Arizona USA
      • Colorado USA
      • Michigan USA
      • New Jersey USA
      • New York USA
    • Pet Pals
    • Heroes
  • Books
    • My Way
    • Take Me Home, Country Roads
    • Living In America
    • Roll Me Away
    • Go Your Own Way
    • Every Picture Tells A Story
    • Life Is A Highway
    • On The Road Again
    • America The Beautiful Part 1: Trip Chapters
    • America The Beautiful Part 2: Trip News
    • America The Beautiful Part 3: Faces & Places
    • Encouraging Words
    • Encouraging Words 2
    • Encouraging Words 3
    • Encouraging Words 4