Whales on the Move

So, if you're my friend on Facebook, you probably saw this picture I snapped last time I was in West Edmonton Mall, along with the distressing message, "Are they dismantling my favourite West Edmonton Mall landmark?"

Well, while listening to the super-awesome reporter on the most awesomest radio station in the world, I have learned that, yes, West Edmonton Mall's classic baleen whale statue/fountain is being dismantled.

Why they are dismantling it is answered in this second photo I snapped, but never posted to Facebook.

See all that pink in the background?  That's Edmonton's first-ever Victoria's Secret store opening up.  West Edmonton Mall officials figure that the space in front of Victoria's Secret will soon be filled with bored husbands and boyfriends waiting outside for their ladies to do their shopping.  So they're dismantling the whale to make room for more benches. 

However, West Edmonton Mall officials assure us that the baleen whale will be fully restored, and moved to another location in the mall.

I sure hope so.  I know that, some where, in one of Mom's old photo albums, there's got to be a dozen or so pictures of me coming out of that whale's mouth.  I'm well into my thirties now, and I still always have a penny to toss in that fountain. 

Here's the Edmonton Sun's report on the matter.

I'm learning so much about the whale thanks to all this news coverage.  For example, the proper name of sculpture is "Open Sea" and it was sculpted by Robin Bell.  It's sat there ever since Phase II of the WEM opened in 1983.

Here's the Edmonton Journal's report on the matter.

And I after I wrote this blog entry and posted it on my Twitter feed, some smarmy reporter at a big city news station had tweet me and tell me she had the story last week.

Here's iNews 880's story on the matter.