HOOPER, Utah A farmer has erected a fence in
his backyard made of three old cars sticking up
in the air to send a message to new neighbors
that he can do whatever he wants on his farm.
"This is just a fun way for me to say, 'Hey boys,
I'm still here,'" said Rhett Davis. "This is my redneck Stonehenge."
Davis came up with the idea after neighbors who
recently moved into homes next to his hayfield complained about his farm.
"The people who bought the homes say, 'Well, we
love looking into your yard and seeing the horses
and the cattle, but we don't like the flies, and
we don't like the mosquitoes,' and when I cut my
field to bale it, they say, 'We don't like the dust in the air,' " Davis said.
Davis said he offered to pay half the cost of a
fence between his property and the others and to
build it. He said his neighbors declined the
offer, saying it would block their view.
Neighbors declined to comment to the Standard-Examiner of Ogden.
Davis said after the neighbors declined his
offer, he used a backhoe to dig three large holes
on the edge of his property, then took three cars
that had competed in demolition derbies and
planted them nose-first into the ground.
He said the cars were planted out of humor rather
than spite. He said it's important that new
residents moving into the area realize that Hooper remains a farming community.
The area has grown recently with new residents
who desire a country atmosphere but don't want
the smells and noises of farm life, Davis said.
"I respect that they're here and spent a lot on
their homes, but on the other hand, give me a
little bit, too. I've been here since I was 7 years old," he said.
Davis said he doesn't intend to keep the cars up permanently.
"I've talked to my neighbors and worked things
out. I really just thought this would be a funny
thing to do," he said. "These can come out just as easy as they went in."<<