One of my favorite movies during my childhood, I stumbled across this while staying nearby in the city recently.
The iconic brothers McKenzie are honored here by a wonderful art installation that was created by Ritchie Velthuis of Edmonton. Reposted from the Edmonton Journal:
Of all characters, it figures these two hoseheads would have trouble with two-metre social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But after years in the making, life-sized bronze statues of SCTV’s inseparable Bob and Doug McKenzie appeared on 103 Street and 103 Avenue Tuesday night under a gentle snow, wearing tuques and jeans and clutching open stubbies — what we Canucks used to call short beer bottles back in the day, eh.
The lively and beautiful colour-patina statue is a collaborative effort between accomplished Edmonton sculptor Ritchie Velthuis, the non-profit SCTV Monument Committee, Calgary’s Bronzart Casting and actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, who had suggestions during the entire process.
Thomas himself notes, “Bob and Doug were born in Edmonton over 40 years ago. Edmonton is the perfect place for these statues because now we’re frozen stiff all year round, eh!”
The loveably idiotic brothers McKenzie were the creation of the two actors, featured in recurring, often improvised Great White North skits on SCTV. Full name Second City Television, the show ran on and off from 1976 to 1984 with an evolving cast that launched the careers of so many iconic comedians, including Harold Ramis, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Martin Short and Schitt’s Creek’s Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy.
First shot in Toronto, in 1980 the already-cancelled SCTV relaunched in cheaper Edmonton with the help of local broadcaster Charles Allard, owner of Allarcom and CITV, picking up international attention to match Gretzky’s winning Oilers and West Edmonton Mall while filmed here. The show would move back to Toronto and onto NBC and earn multiple Emmys.
But Bob and Doug became an international sensation in their own right, including starring in feature-length comedy Strange Brew — featuring the recently deceased legend Max Von Sydow — a hit album guest-starring Rush’s Geddy Lee, even having their own comic strip, which ran in the Edmonton Sun.
“Rick and I were both surprised and honoured at these statues of the McKenzie brothers,” says Thomas. “Despite the time that has passed, we both hold dear the memories of working at the ITV Studios on Allard Way Northwest with the rest of the cast and the Edmonton folks who worked behind the scenes on the SCTV show with us.
“We all became lifelong friends, and share a lot of memories. So, in that way, these statues really memorialize that experience and the folks from Edmonton and the other cast members of SCTV who worked on the show.”
IN ORDER TO GET CREDIT FOR THIS VIRTUAL CACHE, PLEASE GO TO EITHER METAL STREET POLE AT THE CORNER OF 103 AVE. NW AND 103 ST. NW IN FRONT OF THE STATUE. ON EACH POLE YOU WILL FIND A SILVER TAG WITH TWO LINES OF BLACK LETTERING THAT IS APPROXIMATELY WAIST HIGH. MESSAGE/EMAIL ME WHAT THE TEXT/NUMBERS ARE ON EACH LINE.
ALSO RECOMMENDED BUT NOT REQUIRED, POST A PICTURE OF YOU AND/OR YOUR GEOCACHING GROUP WITH THE STATUES.
BONUS POINTS FOR THOSE THAT CAN NAME THEIR DOG!!!!
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.