Globe Trotting
A landmark touting Brooks Old Original Rich and Tangy Catsup rises up in Collinsville, Ill. The water tower — which never held ketchup and has not been used for decades — is being sold for $500,000 along with an adjacent warehouse.
Condiment monument up for grabs
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. » For tourist Bruce Pasarow of Buena Park, Calif., leaving Illinois before seeing what’s billed as the "World’s Largest Bottle of Catsup" was not an option.
The Collinsville water tower is a depiction of Brooks Old Original Rich and Tangy Catsup, which was once produced in the buildings beneath the tower.
Now the sign is for sale. Owner Larry Eckert is asking $500,000 for the 65-year-old, 170-foot-tall landmark and adjacent warehouse.
The 100,000-gallon tower never held ketchup. It hasn’t been used since Brooks moved out in the 1960s.
Judy Demoisy helped save the bottle when it was in danger of being torn down in 1993. She says preservationists believe using it in a ketchup museum would be great.
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"It’s a global condiment," she says.
Corvette caravan to head east
EL RENO, Okla. » Hundreds of Corvettes will be driving through Oklahoma next month on their way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky.
The caravan will start in California and pick up cars as it heads east to the museum in Bowling Green, Ky. The cars will be in El Reno on Aug. 25 and stay in Tulsa that night before heading on to Missouri. The caravan will arrive in Bowling Green on Aug. 27.
The museum was damaged in February when a sinkhole swallowed several Corvettes. Construction to repair the hole has been delayed until the anniversary celebration is completed.
City OKs home short-term rentals
PORTLAND, Ore. » The Portland, Ore., City Council has voted to legalize short-term rentals in single-family homes, giving added legitimacy to rental websites such as Airbnb.
Homeowners will be allowed to rent one or two bedrooms once a safety inspection is done and neighbors are notified.
The city is requiring rental websites to collect lodging taxes. Airbnb says it started doing that July 1 in anticipation of Wednesday’s vote.
Mayor Charlie Hales and the city commissioners say they want Portland to be active in what they called the "sharing economy." Later this year they plan to discuss whether to also legalize short-term rentals in apartment buildings.
