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I no longer live in Red Deer. I never got extra pictures I had promised of the horse statue, the millenium
building, or the church sign. Sorry about that. Some things on this site are no longer true, like "I've lived in
Red Deer for three years..." but I'll leave it the same anyway, so you can see what I originally thought. The
bulk of this site was made from summer 1999 to spring 2000.
I've lived in Red Deer for three years, and I don't think I'm
considered a "local" yet. To qualify for being a local, I believe you
have to have been born here. However, I tend to notice weird things in
this city that locals take for granted, or don't seem to remember seeing
before. I took it upon myself to photograph the more interesting elements
of Red Deer, including statues of frightened horses, a "folk hero" pig,
and ghosts, as well as a big green knob, maybe forty feet tall, that you
can see from everywhere in the city.
Outside the library is a statue of two terrified horses, whose reigns
are being pulled at, attached to a wagon. It's actually quite frightening
to walk past. More pictures of this will be added later.
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There are "ghosts" around Red Deer, as part of a city beautification
program. Some metal children play in a park, and a metal man sits on a
bench. When it got cold, someone put a toque on his head. (Toque is
Canadian for "woolen ski cap", by the way.) Here's a drive-by shot of
him.
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Another ghost is a metal pig, Francis, who escaped from a butcher shop
and meat packing plant called Fletcher's, which is known mostly for being
the harshest, worst paid, most strenuous employment in town, as far as I
can tell. Francis became a sort of hero, and made national news.
Fletcher's was seen as a source of evil, having tried to kill such a cute
little creature, but oddly enough were forgiven when their logo started
appearing on signs praising Francis' strength and will to live. They
turned it into a way of advertising meat.
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The following is written on the stone in front of Francis:
"Ghosts
Francis the Pig
By Danek Mozdzenski
The legend of Francis began in July 1990 when this pig escaped from a
local abattoir. For nearly five months the fugitive roamed throughout Red
Deer's parklands, eluding predators and several attempts of recapture.
This freedom-loving pig was finally captured and spent his remaining life
on a local farm. Francis reminds us of the importance of hog production
and processing to the economy of Red Deer.
Thanks to Red Deer Downtown Business Association
The Community Facility Enhancement Program Funded Through the Alberta
Lottery Fund
Fletcher's"
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