Published May 27, 2009 12:56PM
Barack Obama might have a long way to go before he’s carved into a stone mountainside a la Rushmore, but the popular president can take solace in the fact that he’ll already have a mountain and a national park named after him before his first year in office ends. (Not bad—last time I checked, only Teddy Roosevelt has a national park named after him.)
There’s just one catch: It’s not in the U.S. Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer of the tiny Caribbean nation of Antigua plans to rename the island’s tallest mountain in honor of President Obama. He’ll also declare it Mount Obama Monument and National Park, and it’ll feature a museum, education centers, and “entertainment facilities.” Presumably that includes the opportunity to buy Hope Fries and a 32-oz. soda with Obama’s beaming face on the commemorative collector’s cup.
If that has you worried about traffic jams and the fanny-pack’d brigade in Mount Obama NP, never fear: The Antiguan PM also plans to open a network of hiking trails atop the 1,319-foot massif, formerly known as Boggy Peak.
Spencer hopes the site will serve as a “beacon of hope” for all people, and he’s invited President Obama to attend the dedication ceremony on Aug. 4—the president’s birthday.
I’m going to go way out on a limb here and say the president’s probably already got birthday plans. But don’t fret, Prime Minister Spencer: Aug. 5 is my birthday, and I’ve be happy to attend the dedication of Mount Alvarez National Park. Just sayin’, is all.
—Ted Alvarez
Antigua’s ‘Mount Obama’ to be national park (AP)