Faux Poe Toaster?

Apparently.

Looks like Baltimore, which lost one of its few tourist draws a few years ago when the Poe Toaster retired, is trying to bring back the magic by running in a ringer "faux Poe Toaster." This will end badly, because it is being done for commercial purposes, whereas the original Poe Toaster did it for free, for the fun of it, and for the tiny bit of fame that his anonymous tribute brought.

Myself, the next time I'm in Wilmington, NC, I plan to toast at the grave of Edward Hall "Ned" Adkins, the "Old Man" of Robert Ruark's coming-of-age classic book The Old Man and the Boy. That will probably be later this year.

Once Upon a Time...

...today would have been Poe Toaster Day. It remains Poe's birthday, of course, but isn't the same without the Toaster around to remind us of it. Maybe he'll be back this year. One can hope.

Update: An article mentions that they're waiting and hoping.

update 2: Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore." Apparently it's over. The 2nd generation Toaster proved too lazy to continue the tradition.

Kind of a comment on the contemporary US, isn't it?

Did The Poe Toaster Die Last Week?

A discussion at this website theorizes about the identity of the Poe Toaster and concludes that the annual ritual came to an end with his death.

No way of knowing, unless the Toaster either comes forward or we receive some verifiable news of his death.

Poe Toaster Day

It's Edgar Allan Poe's birthday today, and also the day that a mysterious caped figure leaves 3 roses and a partially consumed bottle of brandy on Poe's Baltimore grave. It's one of the US's more famous traditions, and the identity of the Poe Toaster (as the mysterious figure is called) has never been revealed, although it is known that the current Toaster is from a different generation than the original Toaster.


Be watching for news of the Poe Toaster!


In other Poe news, a portrait of the poet as a young man has surfaced and is for sale:

update: The tradition has been broken. The Poe Toaster did not show up this year.

update 2: Another story on the no-show of the Toaster.

Poe Toaster Returned!

He showed up!

The crowd of about 50 people was reportedly well-behaved; the Toaster left his usual tribute and departed without incident.

*sigh* I'm glad.

A Heads Up

Monday is Edgar Allan Poe's birthday. Were he still living, he'd be 200 years old. It's a landmark day for Poe fans, and there is a lot of celebration planned it cities that Poe lived in, most especially so in Baltimore, where Poe died.

Be watching the news carefully. Start watching Sunday evening, and pay attention to the early morning hours of Monday. That is when the Poe Toaster will make his annual appearance at Poe's grave, if he hasn't been made nervous by the reports of the expected crowds.

This is one of the most wonderful traditions in the US, and I dread it ending in tragedy or farce, with the Poe Toaster killed or injured by a crazed fan or arrested by the police. Leave the poor man alone, let him complete his annual tribute, and let him go his way. That way we can all enjoy the mystery for another year.

What If He Doesn't Show Up?

I've been as big a fan of the Poe Toaster as anyone, but reading reading this news story as well as seeing headlines from Google News Alerts about the Toaster, I have to think that there is a lot of presumption that the Toaster will make his annual appearance. This year is the bicentennial of Edgar Allan Poe's birth, and numerous events are planned in Baltimore as well as other cities. The crowd at the cemetery where Poe is buried and the Toaster makes his annual visit is likely to be far larger than it has ever been, making an inadvertent (or even intentional) unmasking of the Toaster a very real possibility.

I'm a bit worried. I love the tradition that the Poe Toaster represents, but if too many people become enthusiastic about him, the crowds could become a mob, and the IQ level of a mob can be measured in the low two digit range.

Gold Coin In Salvation Army Kettle: Tradition Since 1982

Story.

This is one of those eccentric US traditions (the Poe Toaster is another) that I just love to read about.

Baltimore Preparing For Poe Bicentennial

Story.

Plays, readings by actors, a Poe "burial," and, hopefully, the annual appearance of the mysterious Poe Toaster.

Baltimore, Philadelphia At War Over Poe

The cities of Baltimore and Philadelphia are at war over the remains of Edgar Allan Poe.

Baltimore has him, Philadelphia wants him. Poe spent his life moving from city to city as he took editorial positions at various magazines and newspapers. In addition to Baltimore and Philadelphia, he spent time in New York, Richmond and South Carolina (he was born in Boston).

As far as I'm concerned, Poe's body needs to stay in Baltimore. In addition to Poe, his wife Virginia and his mother-in-law Maria (Muddy) are buried at the gravesite. Philadelphia has not indicated that they would move the entire family.

Besides, is Philadelphia expecting the Poe Toaster to pull up stakes and move to Philadelphia?

Scalia On Bush/Gore 2000: It's Gore's Fault

"Richard Nixon, when he lost to [John F.] Kennedy thought that the election had been stolen in Chicago, which was very likely true with the system at the time," Justice Antonin Scalia told The Telegraph.

"But he did not even think about bringing a court challenge. That was his prerogative. So you know if you don't like it, don't blame it on me.

"I didn't bring it into the courts. Mr Gore brought it into the courts.

"So if you don't like the courts getting involved talk to Mr Gore."

Justice Scalia, a conservative justice who was appointed to America's highest court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, said he and the other justices had no option but to intervene once Mr Gore sought to overcome Mr Bush via the lower courts.

He said that he "of course" regretted that the Supreme Court had become involved. "But I don't know how we could have avoided it. Could we have declined to accept the case on the basis that it wasn't important enough?

"And you know bear in mind that the issue wasn't whether or not the election was going to be decided by a court or not. It was whether it was going to be decided by the Florida court or by the United States Supreme Court, for a federal election.

"So I have no regrets about taking the case and I think our decision in the case was absolutely right. But if you ask me 'Am I sorry it all happened?' Of course I am sorry it happened there was no way that we were going to come out of it smelling like a rose.

"I mean, one side or the other was going to feel that was a politicised decision but that goes with the territory."

He flatly denied there was any "partisan prejudice" involved in the 5-4 ruling, adding that "if you want to look for partisan decisions" then they could be found in the Florida supreme court's rulings.

Poe Toaster Day!

A yearly tradition, going on for over 40 years:

Small article here.

Updates as details emerge.

Update: He showed up.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Undeterred by controversy, a mysterious visitor paid his annual tribute at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe early Saturday, placing three red roses and a half-filled bottle of cognac before stealing away into the darkness.

Nearly 150 people had gathered outside the cemetery of Westminster Presbyterian Church, but the man known as the "Poe toaster" was, as usual, able to avoid being spotted by the crowd, said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum.

The tribute takes place every Jan. 19 — the anniversary of Poe's birth.

The visitor did not leave a note, Jerome said, electing not to respond to questions raised in the past year about the history and authenticity of the tribute.


One of my favorite days of the year because of this tradition. *laughs*