What Works? Non-profit or Blood, Sweat and Tears?

All Summer long and well into this fall, happy tourists as well as intrigued television and documentary film crews, radio news program reporters, authors, set and theme park designers, photographers, journalists and musical groups from all over the world came into Erick to see Harley and Annabelle. Others came just to view, video and photograph their remarkable shop and their home, The Redneck Asylum, simply for their own pleasure - many of their photographs. video clips, and personal accounts of their visit promptly appearing on web sites like Flickr, and YouTube as well as on several professional and personal blogs. Harley and Annabelle also entertained large overseas tour groups virtually every day throughout the tourist season. These visitors all traveled to Erick to experience The Mediocre Music Makers, in spite of these hard economic times having world-wide impact. It was a remarkable scene at The Sandhills Curiosity Shop, a scene that almost defies explanation.

But Harley is a seasoned pro in his craft, with more than fifty years experience gained living and working on the road as a performing musician. Annabelle's delightful artistry and more recently acquired, but very impressive, performing skills perfectly compliment Harley's vast reservoir of knowledge and audacious performing panache. Their combined talent, skill and ability, hospitality and sense of humor, theatrical savvy and intuitive know-how, and the willingness to work with immense personal drive and passion, to use only their own funds, blood, sweat and tears is what makes Harley and Annabelle a wholly unique experience. Undeniably, they are a wildly popular act now sought out by international travelers. An act so different and so indescribable that is impossible to find anything like it anywhere else in the world.

"We were approached several times about forming a non-profit organization," Harley blissfully opines one lazy midsummer day in the shop, "but that isn't what we are about. The experience we want visitors to have here is to simply kick back and have some fun they will always remember. If we had gone non-profit, all of the energy we expend making this a fun, exciting, memorable experience would have gone into other things not even related to our purpose."

Harley and Annabelle do not charge an admission fee. They don't sell anything. They do not solicit for funds from individuals or private organizations, from government grants or local tourism-promotion tax reserves. "We don't want people who don't enjoy what we do to have to pay for any of this.", Harley continues. Annabelle points to several antique jars on the tables in their shop. "See those tip jars? Those tip jars see action if we provide an experience people enjoy enough to take it upon themselves to toss in a few dollars.", she says.

There are other tourist attractions in Erick but none of them have attracted the attention and now-devoted and, at times, overwhelming tourism traffic Harley and Annabelle have. A mere fraction of the multitudes visiting The Sandhills Curiosity Shop take time to stop in at any of the other attractions in town if they are open. Reasons why the non-profit entities are not succeeding as the Russells have is a debatable subject but one must ultimately notice which of all of the attractions in town truly contributes positively to the City of Erick, and which takes away from it. Is it the Russell's Sandhills Curiosity Shop, operated entirely on their own dollar and their own tremendously passionate and dedicated personal effort, where thousands of people do actually go for an experience supported by their gratuities alone? Or is it one of the foundering non-profit attractions supported primarily by massive private funding as well as less substantial admission fees, merchandise sales, festival event proceeds, and tax dollars?

Harley grins that strangely fascinating, carefree, snaggle-toothed grin at me as I am leaving and says "By the way, for what it`s worth, I've been doing this sort of thing for over a half a century. If anyone reading this story wants to give it a try, I suggest that they get started soon. They`ve got a long way to go and nowhere to stop!"