Kinnett Dairy and Kadie (Demolished/Removed)
Columbus, GA Photo courtesy Kevin Powers
Attached is a picture of a local dairy, “Kinnett’s
Dairies” in Columbus, Georgia. As you can see, there is a giant cow out front, who has always been known
as ‘Kadie’ the cow, and has been a local fixture for over
50 years. Unfortunately, recently Kinnett's was bought by an international
conglomerate and over the last year the employees were let go and the
building closed. Just last week Kadie disappeared and two days later the
building was demolished. Many thanks to Kevin Powers for info.
For decades, Kadie greeted motorists along Manchester Expressway, becoming one of those roadside landmarks that everyone seemed to know. Whether you needed directions or were simply passing through town, "the big cow" was an easy point of reference. Kadie arrived in 1967 after dairy owner John Kinnett spotted a giant fiberglass cow being hauled down the highway and decided Columbus needed one too. Standing nearly 20 feet tall, she quickly became the face of the local dairy and a favorite photo stop for generations of travelers.
Kadie the Cow at Best Buy
Columbus, GA Photo courtesy Kevin Powers
UPDATE: I
am from Columbus, GA and grew up with Kinnett dairy products and Kadie
the cow. I was floored when they tore the dairy down. It was a landmark.
Kadie disappeared because she was the property of Best Buy upon the transfer
of land. They didn't have the heart to demolish Kadie, so they uprooted
her from her home of over 50 years, had her cleaned, put in storage,and put back in her original position on the hill overlooking Manchester Expressway
after the construction of the new Best Buy store. In 2003, a 30lb. fiberglass
calf mysteriously turned up next to her. Two weeks later, the calf disappeared
and turned up in a dumpster. Best Buy cleaned the calf and secured it
with concrete next to Kadie and held a naming contest for it. It is now
called "Bebe". Many thanks to Christa Ward
for info. 06-05
UPDATE: To the left is a photo of Kadie out in front of the Best Buy store in Columbus, GA. Many thanks to Kevin Powers for info. 01-06
UPDATE: When the dairy closed in the early 2000s, many feared Kadie would disappear along with it. The buildings were demolished, but community support helped save the oversized cow from the wrecking ball. She remained at the site for years before finally being relocated to Woodruff Riverfront Park, where she still welcomes visitors today. Kinnett Dairies is long gone, but Kadie continues watching over Columbus from her new home along the riverfront. 08-26
Elmo Jo
Memphis, TN Photo courtesy Sherry McGee
This figure of Elmo Jo stands watch as patrons enter this theater located in Memphis, TN. Many thanks to Sherry McGee for info. 09-06
Some roadside places leave behind a long history. Others leave behind little more than a photograph and a name. Elmo Jois one of those mysteries. Sitting along St. Elmo Avenue in Memphis, it must have caught enough attention for someone to pull over and capture it before it disappeared.
Whether it was a neighborhood cafe, tavern, or another small roadside business has been lost to time. That's part of what makes old photographs like this so interesting. They preserve the everyday places that rarely made the history books but were probably well known to the people who lived nearby.
Today, very little information survives about Elmo Jo, making this photograph one of the few reminders that it was ever there. Sometimes that's enough reason to stop and take another look.
Dalmatian Fire Hydrant
Memphis, TN Photo courtesy Sherry McGee
Not quire sure of the source of this, but his fire hydrant painted like on of the Dalmatians is interesting nonetheless. Many thanks to Sherry McGee for info. 09-06
Every once in a while it's the little things that make you pull over. This spotted Dalmatian Fire Hydrant in Memphis is a good example. Someone took an ordinary fire hydrant and gave it a little personality, turning a piece of city infrastructure into an unexpected roadside photo.
You never know where you'll run across something like this. It might be sitting on a quiet neighborhood corner, unnoticed by most people, until the black spots suddenly catch your eye. It's the kind of discovery that reminds you to slow down and look beyond the obvious.
Whether the hydrant is still wearing its Dalmatian paint today is anyone's guess. Street art like this often disappears with a fresh coat of paint, making photographs like this a nice reminder that roadside attractions don't always have to be big to leave an impression.
Mr. Comfort
Blacksburg, SC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Need your furnace fixed? You could probably trust a fellow made entirely out of ductwork. Standing outside an HVAC shop in Blacksburg, Mr. Comfort is one of those homemade roadside mascots that practically guarantees a second look. 01-08
Built from ordinary heating and air conditioning ductwork, the smiling metal figure turns the shop's everyday materials into a giant advertisement. Rectangular duct sections form his arms and legs, round pipe becomes the joints, and a metal cap tops everything off. It's a simple idea, but one that's hard to forget once you've driven past.
You'll find characters like Mr. Comfort all across America's back roads. They weren't built by advertising agencies or theme parks, just creative business owners looking for a fun way to catch a traveler's eye. More often than not, they're one-of-a-kind.
Whether Mr. Comfort is still greeting motorists today is uncertain, but for anyone passing through Blacksburg in 2008, he was certainly worth slowing down for.
Biltmore Dairy Farms (Gone)
Hendersonville, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Cruising along Spartanburg Highway, it's hard not to notice the giant cow standing high above this old Biltmore Dairy Farms sign. Even years after the dairy disappeared, the sign still brought back memories of milk bottles, ice cream, and roadside Dairy Bars that were once scattered across western North Carolina. 07-08
Biltmore Dairy Farms began in 1897 on George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate near Asheville and eventually grew into one of the South's best-known dairy companies. By the 1960s, its familiar Jersey cow logo had become a welcome sight on Dairy Bars throughout the region, where travelers could stop for a cold milkshake, an ice cream cone, or lunch before getting back on the road.
By the time this photo was taken, the sign had become a roadside relic from another era. The dairy business had long since been sold, but the oversized cow continued watching over the highway, reminding passing motorists of a company that was once part of everyday life across the mountains.
UPDATE: The Hendersonville sign has since been removed, bringing another familiar piece of North Carolina roadside advertising to an end. 08-26
Kinnett Dairy and Kadie (Demolished/Removed)
Kadie the Cow at Best Buy
Elmo Jo
Dalmatian Fire Hydrant
Mr. Comfort
Biltmore Dairy Farms (Gone)
