I have been driving past this impossible to miss sculpture my entire life, and I'm surprised that nobody has placed a geocache here before now. When logging, a photo of you in front of the dinosaur would be appreciated, if possible.
The Bayville Dinosaur was dedicated to the founders of House of Paints in 2007 and given the name "Virginia". Its current incarnation includes a mess of hand prints added by a group of school kids at its opening. The paint store is now closed and the property for sale, but the owner has been contacted for placement permission.
Congrats to tcwprez & mswazzer for the FTF and Tracy7781 for the 2TF! I feel honored to have such great hiders setting their sights on my first hide so quickly!
Here's a brief history of the statue's lengthy tenure, as related by
Weird NJ:
THE ROUTE 9 DINOSAUR OF BAYVILLEForever watching over motorists along Route 9 in Bayville, this wire-meshed dinosaur has been a roadside staple since 1932. The dinosaur was installed by Bill Farrow, a taxidermist who opened a shop in the adjoining building. He purchased the dinosaur from a barn in Howell Township, and it is believed that it was once a promotional item from the Sinclair Oil Company, which used dinosaurs as their trademark.
The structure has been smashed twice in its history. Once a truck sheared off the head, and a bus did some heavy damage to the base. It has been rebuilt and reinforced with steel and now has a molded head made out of fiberglass. The original color was white, but over the years it has been known to turn green, purple and various shades of blue.