Mayor Seeks Gaddafi Remains for Town Museum

Nut Mountain mayor Jim "Mack" McElroy is asking town residents with any connection to Libya to come forward so that the town can pursue negotiations for former dictator Moammar Gadhafi's remains. McElroy, under pressure from the business community to halt the town's rapidly declining population due to outmigration and a statistically high accident rate, sees an opportunity for the town to gain a niche tourist attraction.

"I'm not saying we build the bastard a museum," said McElroy, "but if we did, I think it'd be a good idea."

The mayor seeks to acquire the head of Gadhafi to encase in glass and display at the town square, at a special permanent exhibit, or in a special wing of the Pioneer Museum.

"If we can't get the head, or find that we can't afford the head, we'd look at something else like a hand or a foot," said the mayor. "I'm not sure what condition his buttocks are in but I think that would work too if it was done tastefully," he added.

Ted Chenail, curator of the Pioneer Museum, says not all body parts are appropriate. "We usually try to get a head, generally speaking. We have a long tradition of acquiring heads and have developed a reputation for it in the area." Most of the pioneers on display at the museum are in the form of heads, either sculpted or mummified.

Chenail does see a Gadhafi exhibit profiting the museum and local tourism. "Ever since the refrigeration system broke down and we lost Grey Owl's ears, traffic has been way down." Chenail predicts a Gadhafi head would be good for Nut Mountain and encourages residents to contact the mayor if they have any information.

If successful, the mayor foresees the Nut Mountain Gadhafi exhibit open May long weekend through Labor Day. The mayor also said that he'd like the museum staff to cut and groom the dictator's hair to something "more presentable" before putting his head on display. "We don't want to get disgusting here," he said.