FLORENCE, Ore. – Welcome to the newest park on the Oregon coast – Exploding Whale Memorial Park!
The new park is named after the state’s decision to blow up a 45-foot, 8-ton whale that washed ashore near Florence in November of 1970.
Nearly 50 years later, the town asked for name suggestions for its new park along Rhododendron Drive.
They asked the public for name suggestions and held a public vote, and the people have spoken.
Welcome to Exploding Whale Memorial Park!
The city planned to unveil the name at its annual Rhody Days celebration – with this year’s theme of Blast from the Past – but the coronavirus closures “blew those plans out of the water.”
The new park is located on the north side of the Siuslaw River.
I still find this to be as funny as hell all these years later. From Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, “Do you think you think you used enough dynamite there Butch.”, when they blew the hell out of that railroad car. I wonder if they’ll show that video to all the tourists visiting Exploding Whale Park to let them know why it’s called that.
I remember when I first heard of this. I was in college so my internet was free. I logged on via Netscape and started the down load. 16 hours later I was able to see this clip for the fist time. (dial up 24k). My how things have changed.
I always laugh at that story. But I’ve never heard of what is the right way to get rid of a stinking dead whale on your beach?
Calling it the ExplodING Whale park sort of puts the onus on the whale. They should have called it the ExplodED Whale park to focus the blame on the morons who didn’t call in a competent pyrotechnician to calculate the charge.
Still funny as all get out, though!
Betcha anything that explosion was carried out by the ACME Wile E Coyote demolition company of Walla Walla, Washington.
I have an old friend (92 years old) that lives in Eugene and was suppose to go watch that with his best friend…who happened to be taking his brand new car out for it’s maiden voyage. Yes it’s the one that got totaled! He really wasn’t looking forward to the call he had to make to his insurance man!
That would be one hell of a thing to have to explain to your insurance agent that your car was totaled by an exploding whale.
They should do a yearly reenactment on the anniversary.
Every teenage friend I had in the ’70s could have done a better job of blowing up a whale and there would have been a beautiful fireball bonus.
Thanks BFH.
refuse/resist June 21, 2020 at 4:59 pm
They should do a yearly reenactment on the anniversary.
—————————
I would buy tickets to go see it, great way to fundraise – now to get a dead whale beached.
Thanks for the LMAO memory Jethro.
Now, how do we entice a 45′, 8-ton whale to beach themselves in downtown Portland or Seattle? I’m thinking the stink would drive some idiots away since no one there even knows HOW to use dynamite.
I remember that when it took place
They have had quite a few whales wash ashore in Florence since then, but they don’t wait they go right to work to bury it on the beach where it lies.
This whale was featured on the TV show Mysteries at the Museum in the Florence Pioneer Museum and on display is one large vertebrae from the “blowed up” whale.
I never see this without thinking that WKRP’s indomitable Les Nessman should have covered it.
How do you blow up a whale?….give her a birthday cake with lit candles….sorry, no I am truly sorry….
^^^^^^^Lololol
“…16 hours later I was able to see this clip for the fist time.”
ROTFLMAO!!!
I’m not going to make any ex-wife jokes here. Nope!
Blowing up a dead whale was funny.
But naming a park after it….seems a tad childish to me. if they are trying to entice people into visiting, there is no dead whale to look at. Probably just an empty stretch of beach and not much else. What would entice me is a bar and restaurant named “Exploding Whale Inn”. Well, maybe not a restaurant.
@TimBuktu — I like it!
The town should have a pub named The Whale and Ass.
@Uncle Al
Glad you like it. The old National Lampoon once published a story or whatever it was about a pub in Britain called The Cock and Pussy. The pub sign was a picture of a rooster and a cat.
The NL was a source of a million laughs.
thought this was about stacey abrams
Ron White has a hilarious skit about eating whale sushi and how the owner of the restaurant got caught.
“You want more whare sushi? We got a shitroad.i got caught when they saw eight foot fruke hanging outta dumpster!”