Friday, April 26, 2024
Vickie Crowell subscribes to the theory that a little humor just might save the world.
Consider the Paluxy resident’s latest fun-loving ploy.
She crafted a “toll booth” from a used cardboard box, painted it and grabbed her oft-used dummy to serve as the “attendant.”
Her mission: to make drivers smile and maybe slow down.
For months her family and other drivers have had to detour from Hill City Highway south of Tolar because spring rains washed out the road.
Crowell admits the “toll booth” wasn’t entirely her idea.
“My husband, daughter and I were driving from our house in Paluxy to Tolar and down the detour (Elm Grove Road),” she said. “We were just joking and said wouldn’t it be funny if we put up a toll booth.”
She surprised her family by announcing, “I’m going to do it.”
She and her husband Bob (the “getaway driver”) and daughter Malorie sneaked out on the detour road one night, wrestled the “toll booth” from the back of their pickup truck and carefully situated it in a visible spot on the right of way.
Hearts pounded when they heard a commotion nearby.
“You’re going to jail,” her husband warned her.
Turns out, it was only a bicyclist enjoying a late evening ride.
The detour has been a hassle for drivers, and Crowell hopes her display will ease drivers’ tension.
“I thought it might slow them down a bit and give them a chuckle,” she said.
Crowell returned to the site and made some adjustments to the “toll booth,” including straightening the dummy that had slouched. She bought the dummy on sale for $5, thinking she could have some fun with it at home. The dummy has startled guests when they open the bathroom door and see it sitting on the toilet.
Crowell wants people to enjoy her creation but doesn’t plan to keep it there forever.
“I’m not one of those people who put up garage sale signs and leave them up,” she said.
Besides, she added, local officials might consider it littering.
“I thought it was fun,” Crowell said. “It had my adrenaline pumping.
“I try to be happy and enjoy life because life’s too short.”
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