James Reinders

Alliance getting Carhenge (news story written around the time that Carhenge was being built)

http://www.nebraskahistory.org/images/sites/mnh/weird/25-4.jpg

Alliance (AP) -- A Houston resident who spent seven years in London is arranging a pickup truck, an ambulance, and 20 cars to look like Stonehenge, unconcerned that his wife thinks the project is stupid and the sheriff calls it an eyesore.

"It will be somethingto gaze at, and hopefully someday it will have some kind of historical value," James Reinders said. "This will be a very intriguing monument."

Reinders said he bought used cars for his display near Alliance because stones cost too much to haul.

He was inspired by Stonehenge, a group of standing stones near London. The stones are arranged in four series, and most archeologists agree they served some sort of religious function.

Reinders said the spacing and height of his vehicles will be identical to the arrangements at Stonehenge.

Sixteen vehicles form an arc of a circle and are partly buried, their headlights pointed to the sky. Six vehicles will be used as crossbars. Appliances may be used to represent smaller stones within the rough circle. Reinders expected to have the vehicles in place this weekend.

The display eventually will cover four acres of what once was a wheat field, and may take five years to complete.

"Some people are laughing about it and others think it is interesting," Reinders said, "but I'll be you anyone will have to drive a long way to see another one like this. As far as I know, thiswillbe the only one in the United States like this."

Shortly after Reinders began arranging the cars this week, Box Butte County Sheriff Mike Frerichs sent a deputy to investigate.

"We had some calls that came in. They were wondering what was happening," Frerichs said with a laugh. "From the feedback I get, they're disappointed about the looks of it. An eyesore would probably be the name."

Reinders has purchased most of the cars in Alliance for $100 each. None is more than 11 feet above the ground. He said he has taken precautions against soil contamination, andhas drained all oil and gasoline from the vehicles.

Reinders, an oil consultant who lives in Houston, is a 1944 graduate of Alliance High School. He is working on the project with help from relatives, while spending several weeks in Alliance for a family reunion.He became familiar with Stonehenge when he lived in London.