While traveling cross-country this summer, we ran across these two
unlikely stops, while searching for a break from Interstate 10, that
may be of interest to the group.

The first was located at the Isle of Capri Casino, on the west side of
Lake Charles, Louisiana.  We found an unusual arrangement of automatic
instruments:  piano, calliope, accordions, drum set and percussion,
steel drums and a few things I may have missed.  It's located in the
lobby of the hotel and was playing continuously at no charge.  It's an
easy stop off of I-10 and worth a look.

The music that was being played was not ordinary either.  While we were
there it was playing a wide range of music and the tunes it bellowed
out were Iron Butterfly's, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" and the ever popular
"Great Balls of Fire", "Mission Impossible Theme," and "Beer Barrel
Polka".

The next we found was a player piano at a gas station, museum, souvenir
shop and Dairy Queen combination outside of Benson, Arizona, at the
"Thing" tourist trap.  The good news was that it was a reasonably
priced fuel stop.  The piano works and is coin operated.

Photos attached of both locations.

Ron Kern
kernrsn@datachan.com


 [ Jody has placed the photos at the MMD Pictures site,
 [
 [     http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/
 [
 [ -- Robbie