Thursday 13: Muddy-Frogwater Country

This is a town whose name has gone to the Frogs. On our way home from Tucson, the last town before arriving at Walla Walla where our daughter Sherilee lives, is Milton-Freewater... commonly known as Muddy-Frogwater.

Early in the 1970's some high school friends jokingly called Milton-Freewater Muddy-Frogwater. As more friends used the funny name, it soon it started to catch on.

The town's annual "Pea Festival," which celebrated the area's largest agricultural crop was declining in attendance and participation... so new ideas were in order to breathe new life into the community.

One fateful night the destiny of Muddy-Frogwater was sealed. Some kids painted "Muddy-Frogwater" over the "Welcome to Milton-Freewater" sign... one of the first recorded instances of graffiti in this town.

It didn't take long before the town festival would henceforth be called, "The Muddy-Frogwater Festival."

Soon the frog became the new corporate image for the community. Shops and businesses gradually began to promote themselves using wood-carved frogs sporting everything from tools to toothbrushes!

Just passing thru town yesterday I counted no less than a dozen frogs along the main Highway... like this guy with his ice drink in front of Sam's Stop and Shop...

Or this shopping frog who just stocked up with tools and supplies for a do-it-yourself project from Ace Hardware.

But not all the frogs are standing around on the sidewalks and streets... some of them are hanging out from the rooftops!

Others are hanging on to telephone poles... so you have to look up if you don't want to miss any of them.

A new industry was born as chain saws were buzzing and creative minds were bursting with ideas of how to catch the eyes of the drivers passing thru this sleepy hollow.

A frog with a chef's hat tells the newbie's in town that here is a place to stop for something to eat.

Then there is a frog on a flying carpet, on his way with tools in hand to install someone's new floor coverings.

A sad injured basketball frog got hurt on his last jump and is now on crutches with a cast on his injured leg.

And so it goes... on and on... there are 35 other frogs outside the front doors of businesses, in all manner of attire, with all kinds of accessories, selling real estate, picking fruit, golfing, banking, cleaning, shopping, exercising, selling tires, painting cars, sewing... you name it... they have it here. And if they don't have it, you don't need it!

Check out this cool video with music, "Who Let the Frog Out?"


For more Thursday 13 go HERE.