The jackalope sculpture perched atop a building near the intersection of Camp Bowie Boulevard and Bryant Irvin Road has evoked strong reactions since its debut in 1982. People forget that the public wasn’t thrilled when the creature first appeared. In time, though, residents grew to love the oddball artwork. Robert and Kay Thomas, who operated Jackalope Pottery, commissioned local artist Nancy Lamb to create the jackalope in 1981. After Kay died in 2003, Robert leased the building to a used car lot. The new tenants considered removing the sculpture, but their plans “caused so much stink” among the locals that the tenants changed their minds, Robert said. The jackalope stayed. This spring, the used car company moved to a new location, leaving the building empty, and the jackalope’s fate in question. Panic-stricken locals feared the worst. Would a new tenant remove it? Would the owner sell it? OMG! Well, rest easy, folks. The new tenant, FastSigns, is restoring the sculpture and planning to light it up at night. Also, employees were nice enough to lift Nancy and me up on the roof to do this week’s Toast & Jam. I asked Nancy which song she wanted to sing, and she suggested I pen something original about the jackalope. I came up with a dance ditty called “JackalopeAloopalu” and wrote the first verse in my head before heading over to Nancy’s house, where we wrote a second verse. Later, I tacked on a chorus. Voila! Our very own jackalope song! Notify the Grammys! (P.S. My grandparents lived for many years in a neighborhood near the jackalope, and for this episode I wear my late grandfather’s old suede jacket to honor him.) — Jeff Prince
Y’all should do an album together.