|
Occasionally you witness firsthand an astounding display of American ingenuity. Such is the case with the Sashimi Tabernacle Choir art car that wowed dockside crowds in Lewes Wednesday afternoon. When you see such displays, you wonder: wouldn’t we do better in Afghanistan and Iraq if we rolled more of these down the streets of Kabul and Baghdad?
The Sashimi Tabernacle Choir is the brainchild of Houston, Texas-resident Richard Carter. When its 250 Billy Bass singing fish, and nearly equal numbers of singing mechanical lobsters, begin belting out Handel’s Halleluiah chorus, onlookers burst out laughing in childlike disbelief.
Then, in the best Rube Goldberg tradition, when a system of chains and pulleys begins hoisting humorous metal pennants in the air and extending metal rods with performing soloists and conductors, hands go over mouths and feet begin stomping in unrestrained demonstrations of simple joy.
“That’s why we do it,” said Carter as he cued up more songs on the system that includes three computers, five miles of wire and 300 pounds of batteries. In addition to the Halleluiah chorus, the Sashimi Tabernacle Choir also likes to sing the Mighty Mouse show theme song, the theme song to the popular western Rawhide and 37 other songs programmed into the rolling spectacle.
So what inspired Carter to build his amazing art car – using a 1984 Volvo sedan as his platform? “When I first saw the singing Billy Bass, I asked myself, ‘What could possibly be more annoying than that?’ Then a light bulb went off in my head. ‘How about 250 of the famous fish singing the Halleluiah chorus? That would be really annoying.
And then the project took over my life and that of about 30 others who have been involved over the years. It’s just like what happens with Punkin’ Chunkers. And in the world of art cars, we do it for the same reason that Punkin’ Chunkers do their thing: for bragging rights and for fun – but mostly for fun. I had a kid tell me one day that this car was the best thing since snot. I took that as a real compliment.”
Carter mentioned Punkin’ Chunkin’ because he was in town a few years ago for the Punkin’ Chunkin’ competition and stayed at the Country Lane Bed and Breakfast operated by Bill and Pat Cheyney. “He was interested in the event and found out I was a chunker so he stayed with us,” said Cheyney.
Carter said he likes to take one big trip a year and this year is headed for a large art festival in downtown Baltimore this coming weekend.
“There will be about 40 art cars there. Lots of people come by at a walking pace and that’s what we built this for.” He decided to stop in Lewes on the way to Baltimore and visit his Cheyney friends.
He unloaded the car at Lewes Harbour Marina near the docks and the singing fish drew a sympathetic crowd. “Now we know where all of the fish have gone,” said one luckless angler.
Carter carries his Sashimi Tabernacle Choir in a covered trailer, even though the vehicle is totally street legal. “Ironically,” he said, “the fish aren’t waterproof.”
|
