Lavender ?: Ohio Will Never Be the Same
Jun152010
It’s been hell in Ohio. I stayed up until the sun came up structuring Liz and it’s actually looking pretty tight (until you get to the scene level) but then I read the news and tragedy struck last night. Well, actually, lightning struck. Touchdown Jesus, aka Drowning Jesus is no more. I can’t remember if I posted about Touchdown Jesus before–he made a great H in the O-H-I-O cheer–but anybody who ever went north into Ohio on 75 knew him well. And now he’s gone, completely burned in a lightning strike. I’ll be back to post again later, but suffice to say, Ohio has lost one of its favorite landmarks and we are sad. Or as Lani said, “If that thing had burned before I’d had a chance to see it, I would have been upset.” (You really had to experience it without knowing it was coming. On our way up 75 the first time, I’d said, “Pay attention on your right coming up,” but it really wasn’t necessary. The thing was sixty-two feet tall. As I recall, she said, “Oh. My. GOD.” and then laughed hysterically all the way to Wapak.
They’re planning on rebuilding.
Updated to add: Gawker has the story, too, and there are many links in the comments.
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21 Comments to 'Lavender ?: Ohio Will Never Be the Same'
On June 15, 2010 at 12:38 pm Phyllis said...
God struck it down with a bolt of holy lightning and they’re rebuilding??
I haven’t driven up 75 in years and years, so I missed it. They’ll have to rebuild just inspire heathens like me – to laugh uncontrollably.
On June 15, 2010 at 9:26 pm Micki said...
I am so glad I wasn’t the only one to have that thought. (-: We’ve got giant Buddhas two hours from here, but they are pretty staid. Never heard of them being struck down by lightening.
On June 15, 2010 at 1:55 pm Allie said...
I feel lucky (blessed?) to have seen it during a road trip. If not for a friend living nearby, we wouldn’t have gone that far north to get home, and even if I had gone through there, I wouldn’t have known about it if not for her. She said her first thought when she heard about it was that I would be devastated. (More so than her, cuz I grew up religious, I guess.) I’m conflicted about the rebuilding though.
On June 15, 2010 at 2:01 pm Brooke said...
What, God’s not a ‘baller?
On June 15, 2010 at 2:22 pm Jamie said...
The first time I saw touchdown Jesus, I was six weeks pregnant, morning sick, and on the tail end of a day of driving from middle Georgia to Dayton. Didn’t have any clue it was coming, and mistook it for a woman.
On June 15, 2010 at 2:24 pm Gina B said...
Is this a sign or a warning?
On June 15, 2010 at 3:15 pm Louis said...
Yep, Ms Jenny, God works in wonderous ways. You get lightning, Southern California gets the shakes. 5.7 last night with many itty-bitty ones afterwards.
On June 15, 2010 at 3:15 pm Jen_Ann_W said...
I saw him for the first time just last fall. I didn’t realize it was THE “Big Butter Jesus” until I got home and asked my husband. Maybe next time they won’t make it out of such flammable material… I mean come on, a 62′ tall lightning rod made of plaster and foam?? Oops.
On June 15, 2010 at 3:15 pm Clever Cherry aka Judy Long said...
I’m really enjoying the Liz Danger passages you’ve shared so far. Can’t wait for the first book.
You and I must be on the same writing schedule. I gnawed on something until four in the morning, gave up and went to bed, got what I was looking for just as my head hit the pillow, got back up and wrote until 7ish.
Today I am definitely in a sleep dep state of mind.
On June 15, 2010 at 5:31 pm robena grant said...
This Ohio story is amazing. I love hearing about the weirdness of other states. Cali sure has its own special brand, and yeah, like Louis said, our earth moves. We have some odd things, but I don’t think we have a sixty foot bust of Jesus. ; )
I’m enjoying reading Liz’s story.
On June 16, 2010 at 9:18 pm Kelly S said...
Maybe not, but the Hollywood sign is 45′ tall and 350 long.
On June 16, 2010 at 9:18 pm Kelly S said...
That’s 350 feet long.
On June 15, 2010 at 7:37 pm PG said...
Where Jesus fails, another great Jew steps in.
On June 15, 2010 at 8:31 pm Jenny said...
Good sport, and a damn good justice.
On June 15, 2010 at 10:05 pm SueG said...
The only touchdown Jesus I had previously heard of was at Notre Dame
On June 15, 2010 at 10:38 pm Tabs said...
I made a guy snort water out of his nose yesterday when I mentioned Notre Dame’s Touchdown Jesus in passing. Yes, I walked past a 10-story mural of Jesus every day for two years. And yes, it was funny every single day.
On June 16, 2010 at 12:50 am London Mabel said...
Tragedy!!
On June 16, 2010 at 5:13 pm Absolute Cherry said...
There’s a rumor that Heywood Banks is adding another verse to Big Butter Jesus (“extra crispy Jesus, country-fried Jesus…”)
On June 17, 2010 at 12:32 pm Ann Mauren said...
Hi Jenny,
I’ve got a really good picture of the Touchdown Jesus but I don’t know how to submit it to you.
The header would be: From Touchdown Jesus to Terminator Jesus–”I’ll be back”, the Lord promises church officials early Wednesday…
Let me know where I can email you the photo…
Thanks,
Ann
On June 17, 2010 at 4:01 pm Tracy said...
We drive by this everytime we go to visit my mom. But when she comes to visit us, she gets to go by the Beaver Lick Baptist Church, so it’s pretty even.
On June 18, 2010 at 1:28 am Meredith B. said...
Touchdown Jesus was about fifteen minutes up the highway from where I live. What I want to know is, what would the lightning have hit if it hadn’t hit Jesus? The church building? The amphitheater where they hold charity fundraisers and community events? The fire damaged the attic of the amphitheater, but most of the structure is fine. So maybe, Jesus got struck by lightning, exploded into a ball of flames, and burned to the ground– thereby saving the day.
Plus, they’ll have a new note to put in when they revise the Weird Ohio book now.