Honoring life, explosives, and a rain of whale chunks large enough to smash a car, Florence, Oregon, reflects upon the time they blew up that whale!
A holiday dedicated to learning from their mistakes, the residents of Florence, Oregon, gather to remember the fateful day fifty-four years ago when someone decided dynamite was the best way to dispose of a whale carcass. The memories are now gleeful, as the horrific shower of whale entrails seems romanticized.
Over the last few years, locals in Florence have been steadily growing their Exploding Whale Day celebration, which now includes a Whale Trail Week with businesses offering activities and "whaley cool items for sale," in addition to a Sunday celebration and commemoration that includes an altar to the exploded whale, which the public is invited to help build.
Ask locals why they go so hard to recognize a disastrous event that happened over 50 years ago, and you might get something of a romantic response.
"We feel that to remember something that went so wrong can make an ongoing positive difference in our small coastal community," organizer Elaine McMillan said in a news release ahead of this year's event. "The celebration brings levity during a darker, quieter time of year."
Oregon Live
If we could talk to the whales, I wonder if they'd be celebrating.
