Hello family, friends, and roadside attraction fans. I hope that you enjoy this little stroll down memory lane, or should I say... a stop on the highways of California.   Bill

ROAD SIDE DISTRACTIONS: GIANT ORANGE

I’ve written about giant dog heads, railroad flat cars loaded with huge

fruit and vegetables, 20 foot tall fiberglass characters, and an

Elephant Hotel named Lucy. I have been known to travel long

distances just to get photos of giant donuts, hot dog stands, oversize

artichokes, an Alien Flying Saucer that crashed into a convenience

store, a town named Santa Claus, and clutches of cement dinosaurs.

But until now I have overlooked the iconic Giant Orange stands that

could be found along California byways dispensing freshly squeezed

ice cold orange juice to hot and thirsty travelers. After the success of

serving cold lemonade from the window of a huge plaster lemon in

downtown Menlo Park, Frank Pohl built his first Giant Orange stand in

1926 just outside of Tracy. The eye catching huge orange and

enticing signage alongside busy route 50, spawned a franchise of 16

stands the length of California’s Central Valley along Highway 99 from

Bakersfield to Redding. Countless imitations of Pohl’s classic Giant

Orange sprang up throughout the state including the “Yosemite Fruit

Stand” on Highway 108 just East of Manteca near the intersection of

Jack Tone Road. We looked forward each year to October when dad

would drive us out to the Manteca over the old Altamont Pass to

select our annual Halloween pumpkins, late season tomatoes, ripe

honeydew melons and, of course, a cold glass of orange juice and a

chocolate and marshmallow Moon Pie. The number of stands began

to decline after the 1950’s as fenced freeways replaced slower paced

highways, auto air conditioning became commonplace, and efficient

fast food franchises began providing drive up windows. Except for a

few abandoned and crumbling orange shells that have managed to

survive, ice cold fresh squeezed orange juice and tangy lemonade

served on the side of the road from a Giant Orange and enjoyed at an

inviting shaded picnic table are only memories of a slower and

simpler time. -Bill (1/18/22)