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Unexpected Texas

Quirky Texas: Life Size Wax Sculpture Replica of the Last Supper

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Quirky Surprise in Fort Worth

When I tell people that Fort Worth is home to a life size wax sculpture replica of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” the response is usually, “Huh?” followed by a puzzled laugh.

After all, that’s hardly what we expect from a city that bills itself as “Where the West begins,” right?

In fact, when out of town guests visit, my husband and I generally take them to see the historic stockyards. Sure, some locals turn their nose up at this, just as Seattlites often scoff at the idea of visiting the Space Needle, but I love visiting the Fort Worth Stockyards. Not only is it chock full of history, but seriously: how many towns have an official herd of longhorn cattle?

So, yes, I’ll confess: When I first heard about this quirky wax replica of Leonardo Da Vinci’s classic painting, I thought it was a joke. For one thing, who in their right mind wants to put wax sculptures in the heat of Texas?

Like so many things I research and write about,  this “wax supper” sounds ridiculous at first, but there is much more to the story than first appears.

Check out this adapted excerpt from my book Unexpected Texas (a travel guide to offbeat and overlooked places in the Dallas – Fort Worth area.)

The Christian Arts Museum in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)
The Christian Arts Museum in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)

Wax Sculptures in Texas = Serious Climate Control

 

Fort Worth’s life size wax sculpture replica of Da Vinci’s Last Supper is housed on a stage in a small auditorium where you can take a seat and listen to a short presentation about the history of this unique replica. There have been days when I was certain that I would melt from the heat here in north Texas, so as you can imagine, the temperature and humidity are carefully regulated in this section of the Christian Arts Museum.

Here’s a photo I took while standing in the middle of the auditorium. What do you think?

Life Size Wax Replica of the Last Supper in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)
Life Size Wax Replica of the Last Supper in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)

Life Size Wax Supper in Fort Worth

Hey, doesn’t that disciple on the far left look a bit familiar? Yes, that’s me popping in all Vanna White style. I merely wanted to provide a bit of perspective so you can see what I mean when I say these wax sculptures are life size.

Life Size Wax Replica of the Last Supper in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)
Life Size Wax Replica of the Last Supper in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)

New Angles on Da Vinci’s Last Supper

You can get pretty close to the Wax Supper sculptures, although just like any museum, you aren’t allowed to touch. From what I could tell, the figures are all quite clean. Next time I visit the Christian Arts Museum, I will ask who dusts them, and how often it’s required to keep them looking so spiffy!

By now you must be wondering how on earth Fort Worth wound up with such an interesting and unique piece of art:

Life Size Wax Replica of the Last Supper in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)
Life Size Wax Replica of the Last Supper in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)

History of the Wax Supper Replica

In 1955, an oil tycoon named Bill Fleming commissioned a version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece, The Last Supper. However, instead of a painting, Fleming paid for a life-sized sculpture made from wax. The Fort Worth man had seen a “wax supper” in California and wanted to give his hometown something similar.

To complete this project, Fleming hired the mother-daughter team of Katherine and Katherine Marie Stubergh, a duo well-known for their wax sculptures. There’s a wonderful article about the Stuberghs over on a site called Waxipedia (gotta love that name!) that includes a whole bunch of great photos of the artists here: Katherine Marie Stubergh-Keller: The American Madame Tussaud

The younger Stubergh originally planned to be a dancer. Even so, as a teenager, she produced a wax sculpture of Mae West. West was so impressed with the result that she allegedly told the girl, “Kid, anybody can make a piece of mud look like me shouldn’t be no dancer.” From that point on, the younger Stubergh ditched her dancing dreams to pursue art full force.

Fort Worth’s wax supper took the Stuberghs 18 months to create. It was finished in 1956 and displayed in various locations, from churches to a shopping mall, over the next 40 years. In 1997, it was placed in storage, and for a while, all seemed lost. In 2009, however, the wax display was restored. As of this writing, the Stubergh’s wax supper is on display at the Christian Arts Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

Life Size Wax Replica of the Last Supper in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)
Life Size Wax Replica of the Last Supper in Fort Worth, TX (photo by Tui Snider)

But wait, there’s more!

The Christian Arts Museum has other interesting items in its collection, including a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. (At least, I assume it’s a replica!) Seriously, though, the museum’s collection includes an impressive cross-stitch version of the Last Supper, as well as a wall featuring a wide variety of crosses – which I will feature in another post sometime.

Other displays at the Christian Arts Museum in Fort Worth, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Other displays at the Christian Arts Museum in Fort Worth, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Plan Your Trip to the Wax Supper in Fort Worth, Texas:

 

Christian Arts Museum in Fort Worth, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Christian Arts Museum in Fort Worth, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

As you can see from the sign, the Christian Arts Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. It’s near Fort Worth’s Cultural Center, so the next time you’re out exploring the local arts scene, drop by this quirky museum and see the Wax Supper for yourself. When you go, remember to tell ’em Tui sent you!

For more information about the Life Size Wax Sculpture Replica of the Last Supper:
Official website: Christian Arts Museum 
Address: 3221 Hamilton Ave., Fort Worth, TX
Hours: Wed-Sat, 10am-3pm

Want to read more like this?


To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide:
UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth
.

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places:
PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth
.

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history:
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

 


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No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
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Filed Under: Blog Posts, Travel Photo Essays, Unexpected Texas Tagged With: ark of the covenant, artist, author, christian arts museum, da vinci, Fort Worth, Ft Worth, historic, last supper, Madame Tussaud, museum, odd, q1, quirky, strange, Stubergh, Texas, Tui Snider, Tui Snider photographer, wax sculpture

Unexpected Texas: Building Made of Salt

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Salt Palace in Grand Saline, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Salt Palace in Grand Saline, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming quirky travel book, Unexpected Texas:

Salt Palace in Grand Saline

While the French equivalent of “window shopping” translates as “window licking” this is something that literally occurs every day at the Salt Palace in Grand Saline, Texas. The unusual building, which houses a visitor center and museum for the town and the nearby Morton Salt Company mine, is built entirely out of salt crystal bricks held together by a salt/mortar mixture. This strange combination proves tempting to many visitors who satisfy their curiosity by taking a tiny lick of its walls.

The building now standing is the third incarnation of this salty enterprise. The first “Salt Palace” (shack, would be a more accurate moniker) was a mock-up of The Alamo created for the 1936 Texas Centennial Celebration. Texas weather being what it is, the building eventually eroded. Another Salt Palace was built in 1975 by local citizens who also created the first annual Salt Festival which continues to be held every year on the second weekend of June.

Heavy rain took its toll on Salt Palace number two, so in 1993 a third version was erected. This time, an aluminum overhang was added to protect it from the elements. While it’s an impressive site, the name, “Salt Palace” is a bit grandiose for the little one-story building that bears the name.

Salt Palace in Grand Saline, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Salt Palace in Grand Saline, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Salt Palace Museum

Grand Saline has had a salt factory since 1839 and during the Civil War the factory supplied the Confederacy with 500 pounds of salt per day. Around 1920, Morton Salt stepped in and the little girl with the yellow umbrella took over. Minors harvest salt from 750 feet below ground, remnants of an ancient sea that covered east Texas 250 million years ago. Grand Saline’s mines contain a large and high quality salt deposit. It’s been estimated to contain enough salt to supply the entire world for the next 20,000 years.

Tours of the nearby Morton Salt mines are no longer available due to safety regulations enacted in the 1960’s, but the Salt Palace houses a museum which offers a movie showing mining production, mining artifacts and other historic memorabilia.

Plan your trip to the Salt Palace:

Address: 100 W Garland St, Grand Saline, TX 75140

Filed Under: My Books, Travel Photo Essays, Unexpected Texas Tagged With: #tni, author, Grand Saline, IG, instagr.am, instagram, photo essay, quirky, Texas, travel, ttot, Tui Snider, unexpected Texas

Granbury Paranormal Expo: Come & Get Your Woo-Woo On!

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Mary Lou Watkins statue in Granbury, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Mary Lou Watkins statue in Granbury, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Granbury Paranormal Expo

If you live in north Texas and you get a kick out of “woo-woo” things, check out the Granbury Paranormal Expo this Saturday, May 17, 2014. The little town of Granbury has leapt into the spirit of things (pun intended!) with businesses all over town offering discounts to those who attend. Check out their official website and Facebook page for details.

Granbury Paranormal Expo Exhibitors

It’s only $5 to attend the expo, and there’s quite an interesting list of exhibitors, including someone who sells “paranormal-themed nail polish.” Quite a niche, eh?

Unexpected Texas – Book & Postcards

I will be there selling my bookUnexpected Texas and conducting research for my next book, Paranormal Texas.

I’m also selling postcards of quirky places I mention in Unexpected Texas, including a postcard featuring the Jesus in Cowboy Boots, and the “Space Alien Grave in Aurora Cemetery. The photo I have of the alleged ET’s headstone is one of the last ones taken before it was stolen in 2012.

If you make it to the Granbury Paranormal Expo, please drop by and say hi!

This Aurora Cemetery postcard shows the alien headstone that has since been stolen! (photo by Tui Snider)
This Aurora Cemetery postcard shows the alien headstone that has since been stolen! (photo by Tui Snider)

Granbury Paranormal Expo Guest Speakers

I look forward to hearing the Granbury Paranormal Expo guest speakers, this weekend, too.

If you’re a fan of the X-Files TV show, you won’t want to miss Dean Haglund. He had a recurring role on that TV show as “Langly,” one of the quirky computer geeks obsessed with conspiracy theories. In addition to acting, Haglund does comedy improv, and paints alien-themed watercolors.

Other guests include Selena Roane, who’s bio reads:

“Selena Roane is the founder of FEAR Paranormal Society, host of the Internet show “Close to Death” on ParaEncounters Network, and a representative for the National Paranormal Society. She has had an interest in the paranormal since childhood and has even had some prophetic dreams. Her passion for the field intensified when she lost her mother in 2004; add to that the passing of her best friend, and her interest quickly went into overdrive. She has recently become aware of the fact that she has some empath abilities and is focusing on growing and developing that ability more. She has been included as an investigator on the DVD “Shadows of 66″ and has a few major projects in the works for 2014.”

And Janice Oberding will also speak at the Granbury Paranormal Expo. She has written a ton of books and been on a gazillion TV shows. Her bio reads, in part:

“Named one of three pioneer icons in the paranormal field by the 2004 Fall issue of Ghost Magazine, Janice Oberding is the owner and creator of the Biggest Little City Ghost Walk in Nevada and the author of over a dozen books… She consulted for the Syfy Channel, the History Channel, LivingTV and the Travel Channel…Janice will be giving a lecture at the Granbury Paranormal Expo on “The Ouija Board: Strange but True.”

Jesus in Cowboy Boots as mentioned in Unexpected Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Jesus in Cowboy Boots as mentioned in Unexpected Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Granbury Ghosts & Legends Tour & Haunted Granbury Book

The Granbury Paranormal Expo is organized by Brandy Herr and her mom, Colleen Henderson, the same folks who lead the weekly Granbury Ghosts & Legends Tour. I’ve been reading Brandy’s book Haunted Granbury, and it’s chock full of haunted history and ghostly goodness. I am so excited to take in the local nightlife-afterlife on one of their tours and to meet Brandy in person.

Who knows? Perhaps I’ll get a photo of a ghost on this weekend’s jaunt. Stay tuned!

Filed Under: Haunted Travel, My Books, Unexpected Texas

U is for Unexpected Texas

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tui-snider-unexpected-texas

Shameless Plug Day!

As we near the end of the alphabet, and the April A to Z blog challenge winds down, I found myself struggling to choose a topic for the letter U. Suddenly it dawned on me; I could blog about Unexpected Texas, the book I wrote thanks to the great response I got to last year’s April A to Z blog posts.

So, let’s just call today “shameless plug day!”

Why did I Write Unexpected Texas?

Shortly after moving to north Texas in the fall of 2009, I began writing travel articles about the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. It was a lot of fun, but the outlets I wrote for were only interested in mainstream tourist advice.

*yawn*

Meanwhile, I kept digging up offbeat and overlooked places that weren’t in any travel guides. I love quirky history and unusual places, but I had trouble getting editors interested. I toyed with the idea of writing a book with all the info I had acquired, but I wasn’t sure that readers would be interested.

April A to Z Inspiration

That’s where the April A to Z Challenge comes in. My topic last year was “quirky Texas,” and the response I got to my posts was very encouraging. This was reinforced by my blog stats, which even now point out that I’m not the only person interested in offbeat and overlooked travel destinations and quirky Texas lore.

Such a thrill when Unexpected Texas hit number one!
Such a thrill when Unexpected Texas hit number one!

Unexpected Texas: An Amazon Best Seller

By September, I decided to buckle down and write a book on the topic. I released Unexpected Texas on March 2, 2014 (Texas Independence Day, y’all!) and shortly after, it became an Amazon Best Seller, hitting the number one slot for Dallas – Fort Worth Travel as you can see in the image above.

Yee haw!

I’m delighted to report that native Texans who have vetted the book all tell me that they find places in it that they have never heard of before!

Plus, I’m told that Unexpected Texas is a fun read even if you have no plans to travel to the Lone Star State. As one Amazon reviewer put it, Unexpected Texas is: “…not only informational, but a hoot to read even if you aren’t from around Texas”

snider-back-cover-001

What Exactly is in Unexpected Texas?

If you would like a taste of some of the quirky goodness included in my offbeat travel guide Unexpected Texas, here are a few blog posts that are about places included in the book:

Grave of an Alleged Space Alien in Aurora, Texas

The Lynching of a Very Bad Santa Claus

Larry McMurtry’s Booked Up (a huge indie bookstore in a tiny Texas town!)

Garden of Angels Murder Memorial

Grand Saline’s Salt Palace

Mysterious Statue of Jesus in Cowboy Boots

Healing Waters of Mineral Wells

Quirky Shoe-Shaped Gravestones

Dinosaur Footprints and Petrified Wood Buildings

Eiffel Tower Replica in Paris, Texas.

Legendary Horny Toad That Met the President & Inspired Warner Brothers

…and much, much more! To check it out in more detail and/or buy a copy for yourself, check out Unexpected Texas at Amazon.com.

Here’s How You Can Win a Copy of Unexpected Texas

snider-front-cover-001
For those who have read this far I’d like to offer you the chance to win a copy of Unexpected Texas for yourself. There are three ways you can win:

1. Leave a comment on my blog – either on this post or another one.

2. Tweet about this post. Make sure you include my Twitter name @TuiSnider so I see the tweet, and please include the hashtags #atozchallenge and #unextex.

3. Sign up for my infrequent-but-interesting newsletter, which can be found in the upper right hand side of my blog. See it up there in the sidebar?

Of course, anyone who does all 3 of the above tasks ups their chances of winning and also earns my undying gratitude!

At the end of the April A to Z blog challenge, three lucky people (a commenter, a tweeter, and a newsletter signer-upper) will each win a copy of my offbeat travel guide Unexpected Texas.

Thanks again for all your support. It means a lot to me! :D

Filed Under: My Books, Unexpected Texas

Unexpected Texas Book Signing – You’re Invited!

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Ms. Kalliope can be very distracting! (photo by Tui Snider)
Ms. Kalliope can be very distracting! (photo by Tui Snider)

Book Signing this Saturday

I’ve got good news for my Row80 writing check-in! This Saturday, March 29, 2014 I will be in downtown Fort Worth, Texas with paperbacks of Unexpected Texas in hand, ready to sign and sell. The venue is a funky furniture shop called There’s No Place Like Home (855 Foch St, Fort Worth, TX 76107), and I will be there from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. If you are in the Dallas – Fort Worth area, I hope you will swing by and say hi!

This Saturday is perfect for a book signing, since it’s also the Fort Worth Art District Association (FWADA) Spring Gallery Walk. I’ve been to these gallery walks before. They are lively, fun, and well-attended. Plus, many places (including my venue!) serve wine and snacks.

Thing is, I’ve never done a book signing before. Aside from the obvious (bring a bunch of my books and a pen), I’m not sure what to do.

Should I offer prizes?

Here’s one idea I had: I could ask people to sign up for my email newsletter and randomly pick one of them to win a prize. What do you think? Beyond that, I’m not sure what to do, besides have fun and chat with people.

What are your book-signing tips?

This is where *you* come in. What advice do you have for me? I would really appreciate input from readers and writers alike. Please leave a comment with your 2 cents worth, specifically:

As a reader, what makes a book signing interesting to you?

As a fellow author, what have you learned from in-person book signings of your own?

What is Row80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.”

Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information. To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blog in the following list:

Filed Under: My Books, Unexpected Texas Tagged With: Amazon author, author, book signing, ebook, Fort Worth, fwada, gallery night, indie, indie author, indie publishing, kindle, paperback, ROW80, self publishing, selfpub, travel guide, Tui Snider, unexpected Texas, UnexTex

Unexpected Texas Update: Prize Winners & #1 on Amazon

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Unexpected Texas is an Amazon Best Seller! (photo by Tui Snider)
Unexpected Texas is an Amazon Best Seller! (photo by Tui Snider)

My Row80 & Unexpected Texas Update

On March 2, 2014 I officially released my quirky travel guide Unexpected Texas on Amazon as both a paperback and Kindle version.

For the next 8 days, Unexpected Texas toured the web on a whirlwind book release blog tour. A variety of interviews and reviews appeared on the following blogs to help promote my book. It was so much fun!

#UnexTex Blog Tour Prize Winners

The book blog tour for Unexpected Texas was a blast! I learned a lot, had fun, and made some great contacts.
Today, I’m pleased to announce the winners for the prizes featured at each stop along my virtual book release tour. *drum roll please*

The following lucky folks are all winners:

1. Mark Oxner is the Grand Prize Winner. He wins: a paperback copy of my book, Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and a $25 Amazon gift card to support his reading habit.
2. Scott Shetler a.k.a. “The Quirky Travel Guy” wins: a paperback copy of my book, Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook for him to record anomalous events, a video of “Cowboys and Aliens,” and a packet of Yoda Post-It notes (because there is no try, there are only to-do lists!)
3. Leigh Reinert wins: a paperback version of my book, Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and a snazzy, laminated folding map of Texas (which I was so tempted to keep for myself!)
4. Gale Langley wins: a paperback copy of Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and a bag of sea salt caramel dark chocolates. Yum! The sea salt is a nod to the ancient sea which provides North Texas with high-quality salt reserves which are mined by the Morton Salt Company today, and from which the Salt Palace in the town of Grand Saline was built.
5.Katherine Boyer wins: a paperback copy of Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and the latest issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife. This ties in with the Athens, Texas chapter of Unexpected Texas in which I describe a visit to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. Not only do they have aquariums and a well-stocked pond, but they will loan you a rod and reel and teach you how to fish!
6. Pam Roberts wins: a paperback of Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and some really cute road trip stickers for scrapbooking.
7. Patricia Lynne wins: One Aunt Jemima apron, a zebra striped mani/pedi kit, a mini Texas Hold ‘Em game, & a paperback copy of Unexpected Texas. Each item in this quirky assortment references a woman mentioned in Unexpected Texas.

Once I have everyone’s snail mail addresses, I will send off all the loot.

A Successful Book Blog Tour

Everyone defines success differently, but I am happy with what I achieved with the #UnexTex Unexpected Texas Book Release Blog Tour.

Specifically, I’ve gained nearly 100 new Twitter followers, I’ve made new friends on Facebook, I’ve strengthened friendships with bloggers who inspire me, I’ve doubled the number of subscribers to my newsletter, I’ve doubled my blog traffic, and I’ve made connections that led to offline book-signings and speaking engagments (more on those in upcoming posts!)

I’ve also inspired at least 2 of my friends to get serious about their own book projects! That makes me feel great!

My Book is #1 on Amazon

Another goal I had going into this virtual book release blog tour was to hit #1 in the Amazon Best Sellers list for Dallas – Fort Worth Travel Books.

As you can see from the photo at the top of this post, Unexpected Texas is now officially an Amazon Best Seller! Yee haw! Rather than go on about how this makes me feel, I’d like to have the room for a moment:

What is ROW80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.”

Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information. To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blog in the following list:

Filed Under: My Books, Unexpected Texas Tagged With: Amazon author, author, blog book tour, blog tour, ebook, indie, indie author, indie publishing, kindle, paperback, ROW80, self publishing, selfpub, travel guide, Tui Snider, unexpected Texas, UnexTex, virtual book tour

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