Thank you to Nell Kovach for providing the image, and to Ms. Mehaffey for penning this excellent article. It has been picked up by the Associated Press and is on its way around the world.
Photo illustration by Alex Kovach. Image provided by Nell Kovach for use on Soap Lake for Locals.
Soap Lake for Locals sends a giant thank-you to reporter Lauren McLaughlin, managing editor Randy Bracht, and the Grant County Journal for their coverage and permission to use the following article on this website.
New plans eyed for SL Lava Lamp BY LAUREN MCLAUGHLIN of the Grant County Journal
Rendering of proposed lava lamp by Alex Kovach of Kovach Architects Inc. PS
McLaughlin 2-3-11 New plans eyed for SL Lava Lamp
BY LAUREN McLAUGHLIN of the Grant County Journal SOAP LAKE — With new architects and a new plan, the Soap Lake Lava Lamp has once more become a topic of discussion. At a Soap Lake city council meeting last month, Andy Kovach, an experienced architect who has volunteered to collaborate on the project, presented a new construction plan for the proposed tourist attraction, which would construct the lamp in a different location than previously discussed. And at last night’s meeting, city council members approved a new site for the project. In 2004, the city reached agreement with Target Corp. to acquire a 50-foot, electro-mechanical motion lamp used as a company advertising display near New York City’s Times Square. Disassembled components from the three-dimensional display were trucked out West, and are currently stored at the Soap Lake city shop.In 2007, the city held a groundbreaking ceremony at a site along Canna Street, just south of the downtown gazebo, but insufficient funds have stalled any actual construction. Costs to rebuild and modernize the structure have been estimated at $1 million or more. Under the new plan, however, the lamp site will be relocated to city property just north of the public library and Community Evangelical Free Church on East Main Street. Kovach said he and his wife, Nell, developed “a concept that’s really going to work. We’re using stainless steel and concrete, which will last for 50, 60 maybe even 70 years.” Kovach proposes using a computer and projector to broadcast images of the viscous, bubbling goo found in lava lamp innards onto a weather-resistant outdoor viewing screen. “It’ll withstand hurricane winds, and the screen will last for 25 years,” Kovach said. “We’ll use lasers that will shine any image we want on the screen.” With a projector and a screen, the lamp can change to fit the season — for example, a Christmas tree in the winter, or fireworks on Independence Day. “We can even rent it out to companies for picnics and display their logo,” Kovach said. The plan is to encourage visitors to see more of Soap Lake and Grant County in addition to visiting the lava lamp. “They park at East Beach and follow an interpretive trail explaining the history of the area, and talking about other sites,” Kovach said. “It’s utterly amazing,” said Soap Lake Mayor Wayne Hovde. “I thought they were going to have the (county) tourism board going out there to raise funds for it (right after a presentation last month).” In addition to approving the new site for the lava lamp, the council also heard good news regarding its name usage. “The CEO of Lava Lite has granted Soap Lake the right to use the name Soap Lake Lava Lamp,” Hovde said. “They’ve given us their endorsement.”
"World's Largest" - The Documentary
"World's Largest" Makes Soap Lake and Giant Lava Lamp Famous at SXSW Festival By Terri Duffy
Former Soap Lake resident Terri Duffy, now living in Austin, Texas, attended a screening of World's Largest and filed this special report for our community.
Click on the PDF icon at the right to read Terri's special report.
Terri Duffy on her way to view "World's Largest" (Greg Duffy photo, 2010)
Terri Duffy and filmmaker Amy Elliott at the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed Giant Lava Lamp in 2006. (Photo submitted by Brent Blake, photographer undetermined)
The proposed Giant Lava Lamp story is featured in the documentary film World's Largest, which is debuting at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2010.
"Desperate for tourism, hundreds of small towns across the U.S.A. claim the 'world's largest' from 15-foot fiberglass strawberries to 40-foot concrete pheasants. Odd, funny, and sometimes beautiful, the statues stand as testaments to the uniqueness and importance--the largeness--that all people feel, and need to feel, about their communities and their own existence. WORLD'S LARGEST, a feature documentary, visits 58 such sites and profiles Soap Lake, Washington's four-year struggle to build the World's Largest Lava Lamp. By documenting these roadside attractions, World's Largest captures the changing landscape of small-town America.
Keep reading to see more of the story of Soap Lake's Giant Lava Lamp project.
They said it couldn't be done...
They said it couldn't be done....
Beginning in 1979, a group of locals who called themselves "the masquers" brought live theater to Soap Lake, performing in theater spaces they cobbled together in storefronts up and down Main Street--eventually moving to four different sites. In 1995, Masquer John Glassco drew plans for a theater building and began showing them to people around town. The troupe dared to dream that some day they might have their own building. They said it couldn't be done....
The brand-new theater opened in the fall of 2003. www.masquers.com
(SLFL photo)
They said it couldn't be done...
In 1993, members of the Soap Lake Garden Club decided they would improve a garden area by adding a sundial. Within a year, they had commissioned nationally-recognized artists Keith Govedare and David Powell to create a sculpture. It would depict two human figures, with the woman holding a basin to collect the healing waters. An eagle wing enveloping them would cast a shadow, creating a sundial. Members of this small garden club--about 20 individuals--announced their plans to the community and began to raise funds by selling plants and rummage at yard sales.
Below are two digital renderings of early ideas of the Soap Lake Giant Lava Lamp:
The LAVA (c) brand motion lamps illustrated are registered trademarks of Haggerty Enterprises, Inc. -- Graphic design (c) Braden Blake 2002 -- Concept: Brent Blake
(Image submitted by Brent Blake)
The model below shows a different approach, with the giant lava lamp affixed to a climbing tower that would offer visitors a magnificent view of the lake and the coulee.
Concept proposed by the Soap Lake Conservancy. Model created by John Glassco. (John Glassco photo)
In the community...
This banner was displayed on the Soap Lake Art Museum. The lamp on the banner is less than half the height of the proposed Giant Lava Lamp. (Photo submitted by Brent Blake)
Lava Lamps (students from Soap Lake Middle/High School) in the Smokiam Days parade, accompanied by Brent Blake, creator of the Giant Lava Lamp concept. (Photo submitted by Brent Blake, photographer undetermined)
An ongoing, long-term project... Soap Lake was mentioned in an unlikely place...by marketing guru Seth Godin at a TED Conference in Monterey, California. Click on this link to hear his comments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIVlM435Zg
(If you are short on time, watch the the last 5 minutes.)
