Burnerblog

Or, as a former local resident of Jupiter, Florida called it, the “Turd Ferguson Museum,” likely a reference to the Saturday Night Live Jeopardy skit in which Burt Reynolds (played by Norm McDonald) answers “Turd Ferguson” to one of the questions in the game. Or is it he gives the question to the answer? It is Jeopardy, afterall.

Anyway, the news is that the Burt Reynolds Museum is in danger of closing down. Burt Reynolds was an icon in the 80’s, and every kid I knew loved him and his black Firebird from “Smokey and the Bandit.” The funny part is that while I didn’t know there was a Burt Reynolds Museum, somehow, in the back of my mind, I knew there would be. What’s more shocking than finding out it actually DOES exist is that it’s in danger of being closed down due to development in Jupiter.

I drove through Jupiter a few years ago while taking a short-cut across the center of Florida on my way to visit my grandparents (we were almost involved in an accident there with an 18-wheeler that hit a car right in front of us), I remember remarking to the family in the car with me that we were passing through the hometown of Burt Reynolds. Sherry laughed a little and the kids had no idea who I was talking about.

From reading the linked article, I learned there was also a Liberace museum (I’m sure it’s fabulous!) and even a Shania Twain museum (time flies… I didn’t realize she was fossilized already), but neither of those museums are in danger of losing their lease or location. The Burt Reynolds museum is in danger of losing both to “progress.”

I guess it’s time for Burt to put on the cowboy hat, grab Sally Fields, and do some of that Bandit shit, otherwise the Turd Ferguson Museum may be history for good.