Old Exhibition Hall, Worcester, MA*

A Grimacing Gargoyle Grips a Surprisingly Still Functional Double Van Der Graaf Generator Above the Entrance of the Old Exhibition Hall on Agricultural Street Built for the Failed Worcester International Electro-Technical Exhibition of 1891*

*HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!

As you probably suspected, the photograph is an April Fools Day hoax, and the gargoyle, Exhibition Hall, and the Worcester International Electro-Technical Exhibition of 1891 exists, for the most part, only in my imagination. The gargoyle in the photograph is, in reality, the weightlifting grotesque from the old C Auditorium, with a grimacing gargoyle head I sculpted from Plasticine, pasted on in Photoshop, while his dumb bells masquerade as the supposed double Van der Graaf generator (with the help of a pair of superimposed starburst lens flares). You may be surprised to learn that the International Electro-Technical Exhibition of 1891 was an actual event. However, it was held in Frankfurt, Germany, not Worcester, Massachusetts. Although you will not find Agricultural Street on any present day map of Worcester, that was the original name of Russell Street, the current day location of the campus of Becker CollegeWorcester Agricultural Fairgrounds, as well as once the home of the long gone Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds, the site of the first perfect game ever pitched in Major League baseball. You might think the last fact is also an April Fools Day prank, but believe it or not, it’s true and you can look it up (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on April 1, 2015).

Bolton Fairgrounds, Lancaster, MA

This Game Fowl in Flight Functions Not Only as a Hood Ornament, but Also as the Handle of the Radiator Cap Cover on a Restored Truck of Unidentified Make and Manufacturer Found at a Recent Antique Truck Show at the Bolton Fairgrounds in Lancaster, MA (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on December 7, 2016)

Eastern States Exposition Grounds, West Springfield, MA

Various Ornately Decorated Drinking Goblets Including Ones Featuring Tiny Skulls, the Face of a Green Man, and the Head of a Zombie Available for Purchase on the Eastern States Exposition Grounds During the Big E Last September in West Springfield, MA (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on May 1, 2019)

Eastern States Exposition Grounds, West Springfield, MA

A Pair of Gargoyles Seen For Sale in the Better Living Center at the Big E Held on the Eastern States Exposition Grounds in West Springfield, MA (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on May 31, 2019)

Eastern State Exposition Grounds, West Springfield, MA

A Gold Gilded Statue of a Lion Wearing an Imperial Crown (a Replica of One Found on the Old Massachusetts State House in Boston) Seen on Top of the Massachusetts State Building at the Eastern State Exposition Grounds in West Springfield, MA (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on November 1, 2018)

Eastern States Exposition Grounds, West Springfield, MA

A Fiberglass Statue of a Gigantic Parrot Seen During the Big E on the Eastern States Exposition Grounds in West Springfield, MA (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on November 11,  2018)

Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds,West Springfield, MA

A Parade Float Featuring a Fiberglass Steer Wearing a Wreath of Blossoms Around His Neck Seen in Storage at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds During the Big E in West Springfield, MA (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on December 7, 2018)

Eastern States Exposition Grounds, West Springfield, MA

A Forged Copper Weathervane (in the Shape of a Grizzly Bear) Seen Atop the Cupola of One of the Many Small Wooden Outbuildings Found on the Eastern States Exposition Grounds in West Springfield, MA (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on October 10, 2018)

North Quabbin Garlic Festival, Orange, MA

A Metal Sculpture of an Anthropomorphic Wolf Seen at the Concession Ran by The Lone Wolf Restaurant of Amherst at This Year’s North Quabbin Garlic Festival in Orange, MA (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on October 23, 2018)

North Quabbin Garlic Festival, Orange, MA

The Menacing Alien Creature From the Movie “Alien” Sculpted From Scrap Pieces of Metal Seen at This Year’s North Quabbin Garlic Festival in Orange, MA (Originally Published on Gargoyles and Grotesques on October 23, 2018)