Earlier this week my legs were bothering me, so instead of running in the morning, I decided to bike. As a result, I got out further into the country than I usually go, and I saw two guys poking around in a field. I stopped to see what they were doing, and as one came back to his truck, I asked him.
They were doing an archaeological survey. I asked why, and the answers were vaguer than I would have liked, but it seems that some large company (Disney? Four Flags?) is thinking about placing a theme park near Rensselaer. One of the early steps in the process is seeing if there are any archaeological sites on a location--if there are, then there are extra steps that have to be taken. Rensselaer's location on Interstate 65 halfway between Indianapolis and Chicago is the major reason that they are interested in the area. It is close enough to both to be accessible but far enough away so the land is reasonably cheap. Also, SJC is a source of cheap interns and newly expanded airport are also draws. Finally, the ability to buy power from the wind farms would let them advertise the venture as "green," something the company thinking about the venture thinks is important.
Have you heard any rumors of this? If you have, please feel free to comment.
Update: Did you see any fun April Fool's Day pranks today? How did you like mine? The story in the post is a complete fabrication. A few days ago I asked some of my close relatives for ideas for an April-Fools-Day post. Sarah (see the first comment) responded with the idea of Disney planning to open an amusement park in the area, and you can see that I took her idea and used it with only modest modifications. I used the title "A strange day" to hint that this post perhaps should not be taken seriously--April Fool's Day is a strange day. I hope you enjoyed my little prank and that it did not cause any harm.
While on the topic of humor, SJC had an egg hunt for its students on Wednesday morning. The people in the office of Student Activities hid eggs during the night, and the students were supposed to find them the next morning. However, one student I know told me that he was woken up at 4:30 by another student, and they went out with flashlights searching for the eggs and found many (most?) of them. Some of them had special prizes such as gift certificates. So the moral of this story is that the early student gets the eggs. Or something like that. And if you are an SJC student who wants to get the good eggs next year, I suggest you set your alarm clock for 3:30. In the morning.
I heard that Oprah is looking to start up some type of theme park similar to Dollywood. Part of her wish-granting operation, she will use it frequently as a venue for special invite events for deserving individuals. She has a farm/home in Northern IN, so this isn't unfamiliar territory for her. Would she call it Oprahland?
ReplyDeleteInteresting...
ReplyDeleteBecause Oprah is in Chicago so much, she wants her "trophyland" to be near Chicago. perhaps Rensselaer is just the right distance. The I65 exit has a lot of people looking at it as well. It must be motels and restaurants to follow the Oprahland adventure. This is a lot of life for sleepy little Rensselaer.
ReplyDeleteI will not hold my breath, but the success of Fair Oaks Farms might look good to investors. ja
ReplyDeleteI will not hold my breath, but the success of Fair Oaks Farms might look good to investors.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait! Rensselaer needs something exciting! ;)
ReplyDeleteApril Fools?
ReplyDelete