Picture
Mama's family statue in Raytown?
From AOL News

Two Kansas City disc jockeys are lobbying local leaders to honor "Mama" -- the character played by Vicki Lawrence on "The Carol Burnett Show" and the syndicated spin-off "Mama's Family" -- with a statue of her own.

  Slim-Fast and Lazlo, co-hosts of the "Church of Lazlo" show on KRBZ -- a modern rock station known locally as "96.5 The Buzz."

So why Mama?

Well, the series was set in Raytown, a Kansas City suburb of around 28,000 people.


"It practically butts up against Kansas City," Slim-Fast said helpfully.


Again ... Why Mama?


"Well, to be honest, we don't have the luxury of lots of celebrities to choose from," Slim-Fast admitted. "[Jazz pioneer] Charlie Parker is probably the biggest. We had to dig deep, but even the people who weren't familiar with the character are all for it."


"I beg to differ", say's Ben Edsall a local real estate broker who has had his business Turn-Key Properties LLC in the Raytown area for nearly two decades. Kansas City and Raytown have many famous people who have made their mark on history to choose from. Ed Asner, Walt Dinsey, Ernest Hemingway, Harry Truman and Jean Harlow to name a few; but anything that would bring more tourism, traffic and business to Raytown would be a welcome thing.

Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser is reportedly supportive of the idea. In fact, he said that he's friends with [Raytown Mayor David Bower] and would talk with him about finding a good place to put it, Slim-Fast said. "As far as we know, Bower supports it."


Funkhouser's spokesman Kendrick Blackwood says the mayor does indeed support the statue, but doesn't know if his thumbs-up will help the cause since he just lost his re-election bid.


Originally, the statue was supposed to be a $23,000 life-size rendering of Mama -- from her famed curly hair down to her house smock and support hose. However, it has now been downsized to just a bust of Vicki Lawrence
's head and neck and will cost an estimated $10,000.

"We are having problems finding a site capable of taking donations," Slim-Fast said. "We tried Kickstarter, but for some reason, they turned us down." Still, he believes the kinks will be worked out within the next week.


  Vicki Lawrence is excited about the prospect of having her character immortalized for future generations and, if all goes as scheduled, Slim-Fast and Lazlo will interview her about the project on March 1.


"I think it's hysterical," Lawrence told AOL News. "I'd have to go there for the dedication. It is an honor that they would cast an old bat like Mama in bronze. Hopefully, they will put Mama in front of a Walmart. She'd like that."
The statue represents the pinnacle of Lawrence's career and comes a month after she filmed a satirical video in character making fun of the meteoric rise of Ted Williams, the homeless voiceover talent who rode a wave of success earlier this year.

Thanks for visiting Raytown Real Estate a service of Turn-Key Properties LLC
Picture
Vicki Lawrence Raytown

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.