Matchstick Taj Mahal Finished!

As the Express Times reported last week, puzzle enthusiast & Nazareth local Raymond Neuner completed a replica of the Taj Mahal made of matchsticks. If this has you excited then I'm about to blow your mind...the replica is available for public viewing during Martins on Main (Aug. 8) at KNBT. So clear your calendar.

Fun Facts about the Taj Mahal:

• It was completed around 1653 and took about 22 years. Ray's replica took about 2400 hours over three winters.
• Over 1000 elephants were used to move materials to the construction area. No elephants were used during construction of Ray's replica.
• The total cost is estimated at 32 million rupees. According the the Internet, Ray's replica kit cost about 80 bucks.
• The Taj Mahal attracts 2.5-4 million tourists each year. Ray's replica has just recently been put on display so data is not yet available.
  

Scarecrows at Center Square

Autumn is in the air. And that means that it is time for some of the local Girl Scouts to make one final attempt to rid Nazareth circle of those annoying crows before Winter. This year's group of scarecrows are particularly creative...Scuba Sue, Hippy Chick, and even a public-service-message regarding the H1N1 virus. They're all really good.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

As I was taking some of the pictures I noticed a group of girls and their group leader engrossed in a discussion about the bet place in the circle to put their scarecrow. Everyone had an opinion: it should face a stop sign, it should be near the mail boxes, it should face the church... It was interesting to see the amount of thought that the girls put into not only the design of the scarecrow, but the placement of the scarecrow within the circle.


Hey, don't forget to snap a photo of your Jack-o-lantern and e-mail it to us for our Contest!