Sometimes the silliest of columns elicit the most response. The Unorganized Territory that I wrote for the March 17 News-Herald— our St. Patrick’s Day issue—has merited more response than any other column in recent history. In my St. Patrick’s Day missive, I sadly compared the end of the rainbow with a mirage that can never quite be reached.
I received a number of funny, silly comments from friends and family—and readers I don’t know, like Michael Havel.
Michael e-mailed two lovely photos of rainbows that had appeared in the exact spot on two different occasions in 2010 and 2011, proving that the end of the rainbow is not a mirage. They ended quite clearly in Michael’s serene yard. However, he wrote, “Alas, no leprechaun and no pot of gold.”
But thanks to my silly St. Pat’s Day column, Michael will likely be ready next time. Along with his geraniums and bird bath, I’m sure a fairy house will be springing up soon.
My friend Diane brought me a delightful new addition to my fairy garden in response to the column. A pretty little fairy door to attach to the base of one of the pine trees in the yard. I’m sure it is just the thing to entice a leprechaun.
Finally, my friend and coworker Bill shared his page-ofthe day calendar for March 17. His calendar is a collection of Charles Schulz Peanuts classics, but on the random puzzles—mazes, word finds and Sudoku—and trivia. The trivia for March 17 is just too delightful not to share.
I thought about saving this information for St. Patrick’s Day next year, but the odds of me not losing the little calendar page in the interim are about as good as me seeing a leprechaun. So, I’m continuing the leprechaun saga with this interesting trivia tidbit.
Did you know that Portland, Oregon, has created what is quite likely the world’s smallest park? On March 17, 1976, Mills End Park became an official city park. It measures just 19 inches by 24 inches. The tiny park is on a median strip on the Southwest Naito Parkway. Why would Portland create this tiny little green space?
Why, as a colony for leprechauns and a place for snail races, of course!
Actually, some Internet research found an intriguing connection between this leprechaun colony and Unorganized Territory. It turns out that the tiny park was created by Dick Fagan. Fagan was a columnist for the Oregon Journal in 1948. Fagan’s office overlooked the busy avenue where a hole was constructed for a light pole. When the light pole never appeared and weeds sprouted in the fancy cement circle, Fagan decided it was a perfect place for leprechauns to live.
In his column Mills Ends, Fagan told the story of the park’s origin. He wrote that he looked out the window and spotted a leprechaun digging in the hole. He caught the leprechaun, which of course meant that he had earned a wish. Fagan said he wished for a park of his own, but since he had not specified the size of the park in his wish, the leprechaun gave him the hole!
What a wonderfully whimsical tale. I would have loved to have met this imaginative man. He died in 1969, but his tiny park lives on, the site of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations every year. What a great legacy.
And column idea…maybe I need to plant a leprechaun garden somewhere in Grand Marais… If you frown upon tom foolery, steer clear.
Tom H.,
Portland, Oregon blogger
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