#22: The Yard Birds Family Shopping Center, Chehalis, Wa, 1976

If you grew up in the Midwest, then chances are that you know about the Yard Birds Family Shopping Centers… Before indoor malls were a thing, outside strip malls were the biggest rage. But what made the Yard Birds shopping center so great was that it had a large, painted bird right outside the entrance that each car could drive through.

Before you say, “How did this business have permits to construct, paint and assemble a giant bird at the entrance of their property, you should remember that the year was 1976… This bird was a great attraction for many visitors, but one day, after the bird had been freshly painted, the backfiring of a car shot flames into the leg of the giant bird, which caused it to set alight. It only took the giant bird 12 minutes to burn…