Kissimmee Fun Day

We went to Kissimmee to see if we could find some "odd" tourist attractions.  Kissimmee had a few.  First stop was Fun Port at Old Town where we came across a monster truck and the world's largest golf ball on a tee.  Then we continued our journey to find the world's largest gator that ate a car.  Along the way we also passed an Orange (the fruit) House at Orange World.  What we were really in search of was the Monument of States.  We found it and it was pretty cool.
The Monument of States was the dream of Dr. Charles Bressler-Pettis, a local tourism boosters, who wanted a physical symbol of American unity during the beginning of World War II.  In 1942 Dr. Pettis wrote letters to every Governor and the President of the US, Franklin D Roosevelt, and asked them to send him a local rock from there areas of the country.  FDR sent rocks, no one knows from where, and so did all 48 lower states.  The donations arrived in a variety of formats; blocks of native granite, chunks of quartz, small boulders, fossils, hunks of old buildings and a human skull.  By 1943 the Dr. had a complete set from then lower 48 states.  He had them mortared into a 50 ft tall preudo pyramid of different colored concrete slates that weighed 30 tons.  Each slab had a rock embedded in it and was inscribed with the donor's name and location.  Along with the states official donations the Dr. and his wife included hundred of rocks that they personally collected on their road trips and vacations.  For the top of the pyramid he had a sculpture made of the world with a bald eagle on it and the US flag flying on the very top.  After Dr Pettis passed away the popularity of the monument continued to grow (pre Disney) and more rocks were sent by Alaska and Hawaii, corporations and 21 foreign countries.  All were included in the monument.  In 2001 it got a face lift from some area businesses and volunteers. The monument is located in downtown Kissimmee in Lakefront Park on the shores of Lake Tohopekaliga or Lake Toho.  Lake Toho in the native language means "we will gather together here".  It is 22,700 acres and spans 42 miles in circumference.  It is linked to East Lake Tohopekaliga by a canal.  Lake Toho is the largest lake in Osceola County and is known for its Bass fishing.  We had a good time checking out all of the sights and got it in before the rain started. 
Today I am headed to Clearwater to attend a Stamping, Scrap booking and Paper Craft Convention.  I have not been to a stamping convention in over 5 years so when I found out there was one about 90 minutes away I decided I had to go.  I will let you know how it was tomorrow.