Reading The
Funnies At
Parkers' Outhouse
BY JAMES DRIGGERS
For The Brunswick Beacon
omc very famous faccs arc cur
rently hiding out in Brunswick
[ _ County.
However don't bother looking for
them at any of the area golf courses,
beaches or restaurants. These faccs
can only be found in an outhouse!
Now, before you jump to the con
clusion that this is some sort of
sleazy National Enquirer expose on
the sordid lives of the rich and fa
mous, you should know that the
faces are the creations of some of
the country's most famous cartoon
ists, and that they are a treasured
souvenir left from a visit about 15
years ago.
It all occurred in May of 1977,
when the South Brunswick Islands
Chamber of Commerce and the
North Carolina Division of Travel
and Tourism sponsored "The First
and Probably Last National Car
toonists Golf Tournament, Seafood
Eatin' and Kite Flying Extravagan
za." The three-day event hosted 1 1
of the country's most well-known
cartoonists in a whirlwind tour of
golfing, fishing and eating. These
included Mort Walker ("Beetle
Bailey"), Tony DiPrcia ("Joe Paloo
ka"), Curt Swain ("Superman"),
Bud Sagcndorf ("Popcyc"), Jon
Prcniice ("Rip Kirby"), Dick Wein
gert ("Hubert"), Jerry Marcus ("Tru
dy"), Gil Fox ("Side Glances") and
Bill Williams ("Dennis the Men
ace"). Rounding out the group were
Monroe Eisenberg, an advertising
cartoonist and illustrator, and War
ren King, editorial caruxinist for a
New York newspaper.
On their final evening in the area,
the group were guests of Albert and
Kathleen Parker of Supply. The
Parkers had prepared an old-fash
ioned pig pickin', ueating their
guests to the taste of traditional
North Carolina barbecue. In addi
tion, Mr. Parker prepared such di
verse game as deer, raccoon and
bear, while Mrs. Parker offered a
family specialty known as "Bruns
wick County Caviar," a chilled, mar
inated salad of black-eyed peas and
onions.
Mr. Parker recalls, "It was just
getting dark, and all these guys were
really starting to cut loose and have
a good time."
"We had just recently constructed
an outdoor toilet as a convenience
PHOTO BY JAMfS DHIGGfcKS
IjOOK AGAIN. There are more drawing outside and in. One piece
that now hangs inside was salvaged from a door that had to he re
placed.
?'A
PHOTOS BY JAMES D RIGGERS
ALBERT PARKER poses with his outhouse, its graffiti provided by well-known cartoonists.
when we were working away from
the house, and I got the idea that it
might be fun if all these famous
guys would autograph it for me. Sort
of writing on the bathroom wall ?
but in good taste and by classy peo
ple.
"Well, they all thought it was a
great idea, so we went and got some
paint and brushes, and pulled a trac
tor up close so we could shine the
headlights for them to sec well
enough to paint.'
Since then, Mr. Parker has had
thecaricatures retouched by painter
Frank Hewett, who used a more
durable house paint in order to pre
serve this unusual memento.
Sound incredible? Seeing is be
lieving. Ramble through the Park
ers' lovely landscaped yard, past the
bam and to the outbuilding, and
there they are, America's favorite
cartoon characters: Superman, Joe
Palooka, Popeye, Trudy, Dennis the
Menace.
They were all smiling, all enjoy
ing the Carolina sunshine, and un
doubtedly the highest quality "graf
fiti" one is likely to ever see.
Sadly, the First and Last Car
toonists Golf Tournament seems to
have been just that. The cartoonists
didn't return after that one visit, but
they did leave behind a whimsical
keepsake of a good time.
FINE ART & FRAMING
Nite
Train
by
Mary Ellen Golden
Signed prints,
image size 7x5,
$8 each. ;
u
A
c
Great selection of !
prints, many by *
local artists. \
EXPERT CUSTOM FRAMING ? CALABASH LOW COUNTRY STORES ? 579-6284