Second only to the Liberty Bell? Really?

[urbpan]

Just now hearing a story on NPR about the Lineville Spillway, "Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish" a dam in Pennsylvania with thousands and thousands of carp that have come accustomed to being fed.  I believe I was brought here as a child (my brother will confirm or deny; also I seem to remember it referred to as "Where the ducks walk on the fishes' backs") and joined the crowds throwing stale slices of white bread down to the fish and mallards.  In my memory, whole slices of bread were gobbled up before they even got wet.  I thought it was awesome.  I figured it was just one of those weird things that my family was into. 

However it's apparently the second biggest tourist attraction to the state, after the Liberty Bell.  That's a hell of a thing, in a state that has two major cities, one of which used to be the U.S. capital.  There are pro sports teams, Civil War battlegrounds, and it seems to me Lincoln made a speech there somewhere.  The second biggest tourist attraction is a place to feed fish?  An invasive species yet?

I love the fact that one of Austin's big tourist attractions is a huge colony of bats that happens to roost under a bridge in the middle of the city.  No one feeds the bats, except for the farmers a few miles out, whose crops attract moths and beetles.  Somehow the carp tourism feels different from the bat tourism.  Carp tourism is almost the opposite of ecotourism.

There was some controversy there this year as the Parks Department wanted to ban feeding the fish bread and bread products, and begin selling fish feed.  There was a public outcry and the plan was put on the back burner.  Apparently the issue was the health of the fish.  Too much of one thing is bad for any animal (unless its a panda or something) but are people really worried about the health of carp?  These things are basically aquatic cockroaches with backbones--they thrive on garbage.  On the other hand, a public outcry?  Isn't there anything else to cry out about?  Imagine if somebody proposed hiring these guys.  Now there'd be some outcry.

Comments

[anais2.livejournal.com]

"
However it's apparently the second biggest tourist attraction to the state, after the Liberty Bell. That's a hell of a thing, in a state that has two major cities, one of which used to be the U.S. capital."

...Not to forget Andy Warhol's Stuffed Great Dane in Pittsburgh, as well as Stephen Foster's Lucky Toe, Fredosaurus Rex (Mr. Rogers Dinosaur) and a Space Ship in a town named Mars,PA. PA also is home to the second largest collection of religious relics in the world (the largest is in the Vatican)in St. Anthony's Chapel. Who'd not wanna see a chunk of the One True Cross? Must I bring up the ashes of the "Exorcist" priest in Scranton, or the covered bridge near Gudgeonville haunted by a mule?
You can pet a hissing cockroachat a Model Infested Kitchen at the Insectarium in Philly, or see the world's largest collection of Edsels.
We have a Giant Paint Can in Shippensburg, and a Shoe House (shaped like a shoe) a mile from our front door.
And TWO (count 'em, TWO) U.S. Capitals.

Now I get to go see ducks walk on carp??? Boy, why didn't we have all these neat things in San Francisco?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

You've got some Keystone pride there!!

[anais2.livejournal.com]

I view it more as Keystone Amazement. Seriously.
I still haven't gotten over the rhubarb racing. Wheels on rhubarb? God help us.

[momomom.livejournal.com]

I was there last summer and posted about it complete with carp stills and video here http://momomom.livejournal.com/169239.html?nc=10 and http://momomom.livejournal.com/169778.html?nc=4.

Feel free to link or use the photos if you want.

It was not very crowded the time I was there and that was somewhere around July 4, 2007.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bazilisk_/]

OMG I used to go there with my naturalist group in high school. We'd drive from Cleveland. Now, looking at it, that's absurdly far. But Pymatuning was the real destination. I had no idea it was...famous.

Pennsylvania is nothing but weird. Weird, fudge, and more weird.

[drocera.livejournal.com]

I live about 40 minutes from that place. They are horridly fascinating.

[propaddict.livejournal.com]

Okay, I get that they are non-native and invasive, but that is just plain cool. I think there's considerable "value added" there because of them. Let 'em stay. Please?

Reminds me of the campaign to get rid of all the non-native species of flora and fauna on St. John (USVI). "Return the island to the way it looked for Columbus" was the slogan. Which is attractive, until you realize that all the palm trees are non-native and 1st on the chopping block. Tourism board put it's foot down on that one.

[droserary.livejournal.com]

Looks like someone didn't do their homework. I never buy claims like that in articles. According to this, in 2000, the annual visitation figure for the Gettysburg battlefield was 1.7 million people. "By the town's reckoning..." I'd reckon that too if I wanted someone to print that and impress more people to come spend money in my municipality! Less than 1,000 people per day is very much considering the other attractions in the state.