You may not expect to see giraffes, dinosaurs and even Sasquatch when driving through Owensboro, but if you look closely, you’re sure to find them. Some unique statues grace the lawns of Owensboro, and a few have been around long enough to become community landmarks.
If you’ve driven down Tamarack Road in the past five years, you may have noticed something from the Jurassic Era in a corner landscape. Two dinosaurs – one adult and one baby – look out onto passing traffic. (If you look closely — you may see a third.)
Their owner, Jean Dennis, said she and her husband wanted something different for their yard and spotted the pair of T-Rex during the Highway 60 Yard Sale and knew they were for them.
“They actually weren’t for sale,” she said. “They were back in a field so we asked if they would sell them, and they did.” Getting the solid-concrete statues home was a task since the large one weighs about 1,000 pounds.
It was worth the effort in the end. Dennis said people often stop and take photos with the pair, and that children especially love them. “People know where the dinosaurs are,” she said.
Carolyn Hallam is also accustomed to people taking photos in her yard, as well. Her two towering, concrete giraffes on the front lawn attract a fair amount of attention from drivers traveling Hwy 144 near Yellow Creek Park. One stands at six feet, the other over seven.
Hallam’s family gave her the figures as gifts since she’s always loved giraffes. “It started with a little giraffe the kids ordered and I’ve got them for birthdays over the years.”
The shorter of the two giraffes was installed in 2011, and the larger in 2004. People have been taking notice ever since. “It’s fun to sit and watch people gawk as they go by,” she said.
From a school bus full of children posing for photos, a semi-driver pulling over for a selfie and those taking a quick snap when they think no one is home, people young and old seem to get a kick out of the leggy statues. Hallam said she’s had drivers from all over stop by, including Texas, Nebraska, and New York.
“If I charged a dollar for every photo, I’d probably have $5,000 to $10,000 by now,” she said.
More at home in the Bluegrass than giraffes is the full-sized horse and colt, “eating” from a flower bed on Legion Blvd.
Donald Barnes bought the fiberglass horse in the 1990’s and had it shipped to his home. A motor inside made the horse’s tail wag from side-to-side.
His son, Terry Barnes, said his father was fond of horses after growing up on a farm with them, and that he worked as a veterinarian for 35 years.
The motor that made the horse’s tail wag may have burned out a few years ago, but Owensboro’s appreciation for these quirky lawn ornaments has not.
Other unique yard elements you’ll want to see include:
A Sasquatch on Thruston-Dermont Road
A rooster on Booth Ave
A tree made of glass bottles on Carter Road
A wooden carved angel on Thruston-Dermont Road
