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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar, June 3, 2016 ... Ashland Kiwanis reaches out to teen moms ... Ticket availability ... Ashland Calendar, June 3, 2016 ... Ashland Kiwanis reaches out to teen moms ... Ticket availability ... AS IT WAS As It Was: Blackbird beckons customers to shopping center Comment By Luana (Loffer) Corbin Southern Oregon Historical Society DailyTidings.com By Luana (Loffer) Corbin Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted Jun. 1, 2016 at 5:16 PM By Luana (Loffer) Corbin Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted Jun. 1, 2016 at 5:16 PM » RELATED CONTENT • As It Was: Ashland Natatorium gave way to Twin Plunges • History book marks centenary of Lithia Park dedication • As It Was: Maryum's rose rode west on a wagon train • As It Was: Lake of the Woods loses its water » Social News It was 1965 when Lee Hobbs founded the Blackbird Shopping Center as an army surplus store in Medford. To attract customers, Hobbs built a huge statue of a blackbird in the parking lot. He did the work himself, using skills he learned at Boeing making aircraft templates. Concrete bars provided the skeleton of the bird, followed by hog wire clipped over the frame and smooth fiberglass sprayed over the wire. The 29-foot blackbird emerged, its underpinning 30 feet below the surface. The yellow and black head, wired with a speaker, sat on wide shoulders. The bird had three talons on each hand and two on each foot. Fifty years later the blackbird still stands. It gets a paint job when needed and wardrobe changes reflecting the season. Originally, several mynah birds in the store screamed and talked to customers. One still remains. A smaller five-foot-tall blackbird statue on wheels once hauled sales out to cars, but no longer. Under the mascot’s left foot, a small plaque memorializes Hobbs, who died in 1973. Sources: “Medford, Oregon: Big Goofy Black Bird.” Roadside America. Web. 30 Aug. 2015. http://roadsideamerica.com/tip/1054; “Giant Blackbird: Medford, Oregon.” Waymarking.com . Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures. 9 May 2010. Web. 31 Aug 2015; http://waymarking.com/waymarks/WM8T2K_Giant_Blackbird; “Where did the Black Bird come from?” MailTribune.com 6 Apr 2007. Web. 30 Aug 2015 http://mailtribune.com/article/20070422/OURVALLEY/7030220307; “Outdoors Gear in Medford, Oregon - About the Bird.” blackbirdshoppingcenter.com . Web.30 Aug. 2015. http://www.blackbirdshoppingcenter.com/about-us/ . As It Was is a co-production of Jefferson Public Radio and the Southern Oregon Historical Society. As It Was stories are broadcast weekdays on Jefferson Public Radio and are available online at asitwas.org . By Luana (Loffer) Corbin Southern Oregon Historical Society DailyTidings.com By Luana (Loffer) Corbin Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted Jun. 1, 2016 at 5:16 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501