Mid America is full of cute little villages and towns and we did see a lot of them during our summer vacation but there is only one little cute town that can boast white squirrels:
Olney, Illinois - Home of the White Squirrel.
Quite frankly, I was a bit hesitant of even going. I knew exactly that daughter wouldn't leave this town without having actually seen one of those rodents. And I could already picture myself sitting in the town park, in the dark, attacked by mosquitos, waiting for something white to run past us.
But after walking around looking up the trees for about 15 minutes, daughter started squeeking: "There, there! There is a white one! Take a picture!!!"
Very relieved about this quick discovery I ran up to the tree and started taking pictures when I heard son's voice.
"What are you doing? It is a fake squirrel!"
Great. Some jokster had put a white, plastic squirrel in a tree hoping for people just like us to walk by...
In the end, we did see one white squirrel and it was even alive. Sitting high up on a tree, munching on a pinecone.
The detailed history about Olney's white squirrels can be read on roadsideamerica.com.
Oh, and if you ever happen to visit Olney, please remember that "squirrels are granted right-of-way on all streets, thoroughfares and sidewalks. Penalties for violation range from $60 to $750 per offense."
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