Thank God for eccentrics!

I know that this will come as a shock, but I have been accused of having a weird sense of humor. I often enjoy ideas and endeavors that many people would find offbeat or absurd.

Enter Ross Ward. Mr. Ward (now deceased) loved to tinker. He was a professional sign and banner painter (often working with circuses) who collected oddities - or created them himself - in his spare time. He did this for his own amusement, but he opened a museum to the public due to popular demand.

Surrounding the museum - called Tinkertown - is a wall. No ordinary wall this; embedded in the wall are 51,000 glass bottles. No - not glass shards in the top. The bottoms of the bottles are like bricks in a conventional wall. They are held together with what looks like concrete. The tops of the bottles come through the other side. (See picture.)

Inside are thousands of handmade carvings creating Ward's own little universe. There is a scene from an old western town and, our favorite, an entire three-ring circus complete with acrobats, lion tamers, a knife thrower, and clowns. Many of these figures move. It is impossible to look at this scene without grinning.

There are also many machines rescued from old carnivals. The best was Otto - the one-man band. Put in a quarter and you are entertained by an accordian, snare drum, bass drum, xylophone, triangle, and maybe a few others. Oh, yes. On top of Otto is a beer salesman on a bicycle whose wheels turn with the music.

Also on display is a 35' boat on which Ward's brother-in-law spent ten years sailing around the world.

All this for $3.00! The museum is run by Ross's widow, Carla, and other family members.