Truckhenge
Encyclopedia
Truckhenge is a grassroots
art exhibit, part of Lessman's Farm & Catfish Pond, located between Tecumseh
and Topeka
, Kansas
. Truckhenge and Beer Bottle City are also part of the Kaw Region Art Park, as designated by the Association of Shawnee County Recycling And Preservation.
Ron Lessman began creating Truckhenge in May 2000, using antique trucks and a bus he collected over the years. After a legal battle with Shawnee County, Kansas
over the trucks, a judge ordered Mr. Lessman to "pick up the trucks". So, he picked them up. Each truck is anchored into the ground with 23 tons of concrete, and each truck contains several quotes by Ron Lessman. Along with the trucks, there are several beer-bottle sculptures and structures integrated into the park as "Beer-Bottle City".
On July 5, 2006, Truckhenge was officially dedicated as part of the Kaw Region Art Park after the Shawnee County Recycling and Preservation Association presented Mr. Lessman with a plaque in honor of his work.
On July 7, 2006, the Lessman Farm and Catfish Pond hosted a political fundraiser for the Libertarian Party of Kansas (LPKS), after the fundraiser was forcibly blocked from its original location at Lake Edun by Shawnee County officials.
The Lessman Farm & Truckhenge played host to a concert called "The f*** Phelps Phestival" on June 1 to June 3, 2007. The concert was headlined by the band "Bite Boy".
In July 2007, Ron Lessman began adding onto Truckhenge using several small boats.
Truckhenge has been featured in videos from the KDHE (KS Department of Health & Environment), Roadside America, KS Travel, Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations, and the Filip and Frederik Show
.
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
art exhibit, part of Lessman's Farm & Catfish Pond, located between Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
and Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. Truckhenge and Beer Bottle City are also part of the Kaw Region Art Park, as designated by the Association of Shawnee County Recycling And Preservation.
Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state capital and county seat. The county's population was 177,934 for the 2010 census...
over the trucks, a judge ordered Mr. Lessman to "pick up the trucks". So, he picked them up. Each truck is anchored into the ground with 23 tons of concrete, and each truck contains several quotes by Ron Lessman. Along with the trucks, there are several beer-bottle sculptures and structures integrated into the park as "Beer-Bottle City".
On July 5, 2006, Truckhenge was officially dedicated as part of the Kaw Region Art Park after the Shawnee County Recycling and Preservation Association presented Mr. Lessman with a plaque in honor of his work.
The Lessman Farm & Truckhenge played host to a concert called "The f*** Phelps Phestival" on June 1 to June 3, 2007. The concert was headlined by the band "Bite Boy".
In July 2007, Ron Lessman began adding onto Truckhenge using several small boats.
Truckhenge has been featured in videos from the KDHE (KS Department of Health & Environment), Roadside America, KS Travel, Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations, and the Filip and Frederik Show
Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson
Lars Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson , commonly known as Filip and Fredrik, are two Swedish writers, television hosts and journalists both known for their youthful, though intellectual, humour and unconventional journalism. The duo has been celebrated for their relaxed and spontaneous style in...
.
External links
- Official website for Truckhenge
- The Lessman Farm official website
- Truckhenge on the KansasTravel.org website
- Roadside America page about Truckhenge
- Video: Band to Protest Phelps (6-03-2007)
- Video: Biteboy back in Topeka (6-01-2007)
- Video: Truckhenge on KTKA 49
- Article: Band protests Phelps (6-03-2007)
- Article: Room 235 - Truckhenge and Music Phestival (6-26-2007)
- Article: Kansas' Version of Stonehenge is Parked in Topeka
- Article: Officers Block Political Party Fundraiser