“This is our first Midwest Bizarre Buying Bazaar, so I’m excited to see what kind of oddities we can find here,” said Meyer. “We’re hoping to acquire relics, strange objects from science and nature, and unusual artwork – the weirder the better,” he added. 

Oddities are not limited to archeological artifacts or animal mutations – a two-faced calf and a six-legged chicken can be seen in the Museum’s The Science of Ripley’s Believe it or Not! exhibit. Meyer also collects odd artwork, as well as stories for Ripley’s publications and its long-running cartoon series.  

Ripley’s cartoons have featured local Illinoisans, such as Marcy Poplett of Peoria, who was knocked off her jet ski in the Illinois River by a silver carp, Tracker Bob Hiemenz, who owns the world’s largest 8-track tape collection, and Popeye the Sailor Man, a Chester, Ill. native. 

Some of the curious artwork that Ripley’s collects can also be seen at the exhibit, including portraits made from candy and burnt toast, a Transformer made out of car parts, microscopically small sculptures and a likeness of Abraham Lincoln etched onto the hood of a Lincoln Continental.  

For an idea of what’s weird, check out the Museum’s local oddities display. Borrowed oddities from Central Illinoisans include part of the world’s largest collection of 8-track tapes, a three-story bird’s nest with a golf ball embedded in the center, and a series of walnuts chewed by a mouse into smiley faces. 

Museum visitors are invited to find out the secrets behind the collecting of Ripley’s artifacts at a lecture by Meyer, August 10, 2 pm at the Museum’s Giant Screen Theater. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children (children under 6 free). 

Ripley Entertainment   – Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 12 million people visit its 90-plus attractions in 9 countries each year. In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Riverfront Museum – The Peoria Riverfront Museum is the collaborative effort of eight organizations, with nearly 500 years of combined experience educating, entertaining, and supporting our diverse Peoria-area culture. Our mission is to inspire lifelong learning for all – connecting art, history, science, and achievement through collections, exhibitions, and programs.

For further information about the Museum also visit peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.