Atlanta, Illinois.

A few miles farther down the I-55 from Shirley and Bloomington, we came upon the town of Atlanta.  I was in search of another fiberglass statue.  Readers of this blog might glance at the face and feel that it is familiar.


Yes, he might be a Paul Bunyon in Minnesota or a coal miner in Utah but you always recognize the face and the outstretched arms.  IT'S MUFFLER MAN!  The creators of this 1960s hero are interviewed here.

We stopped by to see this one serving up a hot dog and found far more than I expected.  Notice that I am only about knee-high to Muffler Man.


A marker shares the whole Muffler Man story, including the details of this one and why he is holding a hot dog.




Atlanta, Illinois celebrates not only its Muffler Man, but has real love affair going with Route 66.  A park is dedicated to some Route 66 memorabilia and their are a couple of murals on the sides of buildings.


Atlanta's Palm Grill Cafe is still operating and has a mural dedicated to it.