Do you take pride in your community?
I’d like to ask you a different question: Would you be willing for ETERNITY to have a Connecticut-specific tattoo on your body? You are probably not the only one who said yes to this question, but you may be in the minority. Recently, a Reddit user called Limp_Stress 4254 wrote: “I’m wanting to get a tattoo that represents Connecticut, any ideas?” Although some people joked, others were serious. Here are some of the funny suggestions from those who replied:
bent_peepee: “I don’t care if you like nature, the only answer is Pucky the Whale. Fight me.”
HRzNightmare: “And here I sit, pissed that the tat of Pucky I got looks more like Carvel’s Fudgey The Whale now.”
3000thusernametry: “With big ole nutmegs”
pittiedaddy: “Our official insect is the Praying mantis. Our official flowers and bird are the mountain laurel and the Robin. All of these would look great and are on my wish list for tattoos.
paulabear203: “I would love to have a sperm Whale with a beautiful font spelling Connecticut on the interior, simple black or grey.”
Extra_Mango_8547: “I have a Sperm Whale on my forearm. That’s our state animal.”
Alternative-Lion1336: “Do you also have Charles w Morgan chasing after it?”
greenlegsandshabam: “Defy your Eversource bill tattooed upon you.”
shibby69420: “Pucky, the Whale, eating hot lobster rolls while trying to take back the notch.”
Dangerous_Remote_965: “Hartford whalers. Please close the thread. Yw.”
Mandalore108: “Tramp stamp that states, “Property Of Eversource”
ansherewestand: “A supplemental tax bill for cars with Dunkin cold beer leaving a ring.”
oodja: “A road sign stating “DELAY 20 MILE EXITS 3-24”
No-Basis6115: “A pickle with a proper bounce”
FireyToots: “Any kind of attack animal that could be or was seen on the ring camera.”
McShutup: “James Van Der Beek body-slamming Vince McMahon onto a Modern Italian Bomb.”
Mike Allen, I-95’s ex-News Director and brilliant researcher, is now the News Director. On Tuesday, January 11, 2022, he was our guest, on I-95’s Ethan & Lou Morning Show, as he is every week. Mike takes us through a segment called “The Place You Live”. The feature takes us deep into Connecticut’s history. Allen does the research and presents these stories to our audience in a unique way. The Trail of the Whispering Giants was the most recent story.
Mike Allen visited Ocean City, Maryland last summer (2021), where he saw an impressive and huge art installation. It was a 30-foot statue that stood on the Atlantic Ocean’s edge. It was made out of wood and featured a Native American face with tears streaming down its cheek.
He read the plaque and was amazed to learn that it is only one of fifty. There is one in each state. Peter Toth, the man behind the work, is the creator of the series of statues called “The Trail of the Whispering Giants”. (PHOTOS BELOW)
Toth was asked what his inspiration for the project was. Why not have a huge Native-American representation in every state? Allen spoke about his conversation with Toth and said, “He was born and raised in Hungary. His parents lost their land to the Russian Communists. His family fled. He stated that he sympathizes with the Native Americans’ situation and wanted people to understand what Native Americans went through.”
Let’s just say that I may have forgotten the lead because there is a mysterious part to the story which involves Connecticut. Before Allen set out to find the artist, he had first searched for the CT “Trail of the Whispering Giants”.
Allen discovered that the statue was originally located in Groton, CT. However, it was missing from the official records. This intrigued him greatly. He continued digging for clues and eventually found one obscure website that contained one clue, a picture.
The photo was of the statue, wrapped in a sky-blue tarp and lying in what he described as a “statue bed.” Below the photo was a caption saying Jerry Olson has this. He’s keeping it because it rotted, and they hope to get repairs made. He will remove the tarp if you contact his office so you can inspect it.
After gathering a lot more information, he didn’t know the identity of the statue’s owner. He also hadn’t spoken to Joyce and Jerry. What do men usually do when they are unable to find the right thing? You guessed it, they ask their wives. That is exactly what Allen did.
Mike asked his wife Yvonne for advice. She happens to be a librarian so she suggested he contact the Groton Public Library. He did this and learned more. Mike spoke with Jennifer Miele, Director of the Groton Public Library. She had even more leads for him.
Enter Peter Toth. Yes, we made it back, but Peter didn’t know the exact location of the statue. Toth stated that Allen would be willing to help with the restoration of the statue if he could locate it.
Mike was back at square one searching for Jerry Olson. Using the first number he knew, he called him again. Allen said that “Surely a woman picks the phone.” Mike introduced himself and the woman introduced herself. He’s now talking with Jerry Olson’s sister Joyce.
Allen shared the story of his search and asked Jerry to speak to him. Joyce then told Allen that Jerry died three years ago. Allen shared his deep regret and asked Joyce if Joyce knew anything about the CT “Whispering Trail”. She replied that she didn’t know. Mike did not give up, even though the call ended quickly. He had come this far, and his journalism experience has taught him that he was on to something.
I found the most interesting part of Mike’s journey to be the part he didn’t and wouldn’t tell me. Allen said, “I can’t give you the exact number and details of who I called but I found out that I needed to speak with certain people.”
Mike met two former Groton Town Managers, and he did what he couldn’t tell us. Ron, the first man to contact Allen about the statue, said that he saw it when he was leaving office. Ron connected Mike with Mark, his successor.
Allen was told by Mark that the core of this statue had gone rotten. For safety reasons, Mark and Allen took it down and then gave it to the Department of Public Works. After a while, they decided to let it go.
Mark claims that Olson kept the statue at his Olde Mistick Village maintenance garage. Allen reached out to the former Director, Public Works. The person confirmed that Jerry Olson was given the statue.
Allen was armed with lots of information that suggested Jerry Olson had the statue at one point. Allen called Joyce and shared his findings. Allen relayed to Joyce the information he’d received and asked Chris, Joyce’s son, to contact him. Chris manages Olde Mistick Village’s grounds. Allen called Chris and asked about the statue. Mike said that he had it.
Mike Allen finally knows where the statue is. He’s spoken to nearly everyone involved in it. Now what? Now, the trail is starting to reassemble. Chris said that the statue was not in good condition and Mike called Peter Toth. They set up a conference phone call for all involved. According to Mike, the conversation is currently taking place today (1/13/21).
The “Trail of the Whispering Giants”, a cold project in CT, was heated by Mike Allen and now it looks like there’s a happy ending. A beautiful piece of art with an important message will have its problems fixed and returned to its rightful place. CT will also be reunited with a piece from its past.
Peter Toth is an artist. Peter continues to create thought-provoking art. For a total of 74 statues, there are currently 50 “Whispering Trail” statues. He is looking forward to his 75th project. Toth stated that he plans to construct a statue depicting an angel and place it on the banks of the Amazon River at the edge of the Amazon Forest.
Toth explained to Allen that this would be done to remind us that the Amazon purifies and cleans the air we breathe. Toth has reached out to a prominent Brazilian Chief about the project. Mike was impressed by Toth’s amazing artwork and life perspective. He called him a “genius” several times during our conversation.
Mike has also his podcast, where he provides additional information about the “Trail of the Whispering Giants.” The podcast is called “Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut‘s Beaten Path” and is available wherever you get podcasts.
Comment or share this article