Monsters Sighted in Florida

By Steve Kelly

Lakeland, Fla. resident Jennifer Ward admitted to the Orlando Sentinel that she spotted the state?EUR??,,????'???s legendary ?EUR??,,????'??skunk ape?EUR??,,????'?? (Florida?EUR??,,????'???s version of ?EUR??,,????'??Big Foot) in a ditch in August 2004, a week after Hurricane Charley came through. The ape, she thought, might have been frog hunting. Some speculated the storm had stirred the reclusive creature from its lair. The news item was published Nov. 20, which happened to coincide with the end of the 2004 convention and tradeshow of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) in Orlando, Fla. Coincidence? This reporter thinks not! For those who ?EUR??,,????'??pooh-pooh?EUR??,,????'?? such sightings, I myself, representing LASN at the trade show, spotted a Tyrannosaurus Rex on the show floor. Fortunately, I had a camera! While I can?EUR??,,????'???t prove others saw it, I believe some of the 27,556 attendees walking about the 500,000 net square feet of exhibit space may also have espied the great countenance of the beast, last seen on Earth about 65 million years ago, unless they were attending one of the more than 100 educational sessions or lining up to get free pizza and Coke.