Welcome to The Dirt. In every issue, our anonymous writer will give you the dirt on your burning questions about the Amarillo area. Got something you’re just dying to know? Drop us a line at info@brickandelm.com, and our intrepid writer will dig up the answer.
Whatever happened with the Amarillo Zoo cryptid?
Since its first and only appearance in 2022, the “Unidentified Amarillo Object” has inspired speculation from community members and online conspiracy hobbyists alike. Some have theorized that the UAO could be an alien, a uniquely hairy neighborhood walkabout, or even a chupacabra or other regional cryptid.
Maybe finding kindred spirits in Amarillo with the Pacific Northwest’s proclivity for encountering tall, hairy hipsters and otherwise in the woods, a company in Seattle even offered the zoo security cameras to keep watch for the thing.
The city never identified the UAO, but it was neither confirmed to have caused any damage nor ever made a return visit.
While the UAO remains nameless, this dirt-talker can at least confirm it wasn’t a planned marketing gimmick. Amarillo did jump at the chance for social media traffic presented by the peculiar pic, but zoo staff still legitimately wonder about the UAO; a few think it may have been the result of a photo distortion by the camera, or maybe a person wearing a headdress. The mystery continues.
Since there’s a new City Hall, can I get my hands on that cool floating globe in the City Hall plaza after the old building is demolished?
You can do anything with the right attitude! Your hands might have to fight somebody in the Parks and Recreation Department before gaining custody of the globe, though.
The globe is part of Amarillo’s Centennial Plaza from 1987, also home to the Rick Husband statue, other pieces of art and a community time capsule. It’s technically part of the old City Hall but also considered a “special use” park under the PRD’s purview, and there haven’t been any published plans to move or destroy it.
It’s also unclear when the former City Hall will be reduced to rubble, for that matter. While it’s no longer in use, the city hasn’t published a set timeline for knocking it down, and still needs to settle on where to get the funds to do so. The building is currently being repurposed as a temporary Extreme Weather Shelter Facility for vulnerable residents.
Regardless, we doubt the Plaza will be demolished with the previous City Hall. It might be due for a bit of TLC while crews are re-landscaping the eventual demolition site after the fact. (Maybe the flooded remains of its basement can become a new water feature. Who knows?)
Presented by:
