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| Benny |
About a month-and-a-half ago, around a week before my 41st birthday, we found ourselves saying goodbye to the second of our two dogs. My little Benny was ADR, as they say in the veterinary industry, and, sadly, it was his time. It may have hit extra hard due to the fact that his brother, Moss, left us just six months prior. Seeking a diversion the day after we had to cease our journey with Benny, the wife and I wrapped up our yard work and decided to find some spot of local interest to take our mind off of things for a while.
I don't recall how I'd heard about Hot Sam's Antiques and Foto Park, probably some wide net Google search for local activities at some point, but I pitched the idea of driving over to Lakeville to check it out and we did.
The "Antiques" portion of the business isn't so much a draw. Most of small town America from the Catskills to San Ysidro has a string of brownstones in their downtown district that have been converted into thrift stores or overpriced junk drawers, that have more to offer than the mildewy office/antique store at Hot Sam's, which more resembles a residential property that had to be hastily evacuated than a Goodwill. But that's not where the real business is anyways. It's the "Foto Park", where you'll find the proprietor buzzing around in his golf cart, chatting visitors up and making sure they pay the cover charge. The cost varies based on intent. If you're a yokel like me, walking around and looking at the sculptures and maybe snapping some cell phone pictures, the cover's an easy $5. If you have a fancy camera and are planning on taking some prom photos or something, then the cost per person goes up.
The sculpture yard is definitely interesting; there's a lot of creativity and craftsmanship in some of the pieces. There are some other artifacts that seem dilapidated, like the rotting boat fragment that reads "S. S. Minnow" on the backside, but overall all of the actual sculptures are pretty great. You'll find plenty of dinosaurs, extraterrestrials, lizard men and robots, as well as several nods to pop culture from the early-to-mid 20th century, like Betty Boop, the Adam West Batman television show, Snoopy, Tweetie Bird, even a Gumby and Pokey (of which there's a picture of me posing with, somewhere).
If you're looking for something to do in the South Metro, Twin Cities area, and the weather permits outdoor activity, I would have to say I recommend a stop. Whether you're looking for a hit of nostalgia or just want to take in some outsider art, it's a good place to visit. The business's website is here.
