Squonk

The Squonk is a legendary creature reputed to live in the Hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania. Legends of squonks probably originated in the late nineteenth century, at the height of Pennsylvania's importance in the timber industry.

The earliest known written account of squonks comes from a book by William T. Cox called Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts (1910). Cox's account is reprinted in Jorge Luis Borges' Book of Imaginary Beings (1969).

The legend holds that the creature's skin is ill-fitting, and covered with warts and other blemishes, and so it hides from plain sight and spends much of its time weeping. Hunters who have attempted to catch squonks have found that the creature is capable of evading capture by dissolving completely into a pool of tears and bubbles when cornered. A certain J.P. Wentling is supposed to have coaxed one into a bag, which, while he was carrying it home, suddenly lightened. On inspection, he found that the bag contained only the liquid remains of the sad animal.

Squonk

Like father like son
Not flesh nor fish nor bone
A red rag hangs from an open mouth.
Alive at both ends but a little dead in the middle,
A-tumbling and a-bumbling he will go.
All the King's horses and all the King's men
Could never put a smile on that face.
He's a sly one, he's a shy one
Wouldn't you be too.
Scared to be left all on his own.
Hasn't a, hasn't a friend to play with, the Ugly Duckling
The pressure on, the bubble will burst before our eyes.
All the while in perfect time
His tears are falling on the ground
BUT IF YOU DON'T STAND UP YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE.
Go a little faster now, you might get there in time.
Mirror mirror on the wall,
His heart was broken long before he ever came to you.
Stop your tears from falling,
The trail they leave is very clear for all to see at night
all to see at night.
In season, out of season
What's the difference when you don't know the reason.
In one hand bread, the other a stone.
The Hunter enters the forest.
All are not huntsmen who can blow the huntsman's horn
By the look of this one you've not got much to fear.
Here I am, I'm very fierce and frightening
Come to match my skill to yours.
Now listen here, listen to me, don't you run away now
I am a friend, I'd really like to play with you.
Making noises my little furry friend would make
I'll trick him, then I'll kick him into my sack.
You better watch out... You better watch out.
I've got you, I've got you, you'll never get away.
Walking home that night
The sack across my back, the sound of sobbing on my shoulder.
When suddenly it stopped,
I opened up the sack, all that I had
A pool of bubbles and tears - JUST A POOL OF TEARS.
All in all you are a very dying race
Placing trust upon a cruel world.
You never had the things you thought you should have had
And you'll not get them now,
And all the while in perfect time
Your tears are falling on the ground.
The Squonk is of a very retiring disposition and due to its ugliness, weeps constantly. It is easy prey for hunters who simply follow a tear-stained trail. When cornered it will dissolve itself into tears.
True or False?

photo: Creative Commons / Malene Thyssen

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Edit The Local 10 Jun 2016

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Edit Al Jazeera 10 Jun 2016

One hundred years ago this week, in the middle of World War I, an uprising erupted at the axis of the Islamic world, in Mecca. Encouraged by the British the ruler of the holy city, Sharif Hussein, launched a revolt against the Ottoman Turks ... To persuade him to help them the British promised him and his Arab nationalist supporters independence in the post-war world if they rebelled against the Turks ... Double-dealing ... ALSO READ ... ALSO READ ... ....

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Edit Pittsburgh Tribune Review 09 Jun 2016

Squonk Opera Flowers, flags, double-decker bikes, oversize puppets and all the usual bells, whistles and bulb-horns you expect from Pittsburgh-based Squonk Opera are part of ... ....

Squonk Opera: Pennsylvania's Most Interesting "Band"

Edit The Examiner 03 May 2016

But of all the performances and artwork, Squonk Opera (“Squonk”, “Squonkers” etc.) easily won as the most interesting ... Formed in 1992, Squonk Opera has performed in over 250 venues in the U.S ... Squonk includes a graphic designer, a staging director, a painter and sculptor among others ... This should give you a clearer picture of Squonk’s representation of air ... There has been much written on Squonk Opera’s “America’s Got Talent” appearances....

When sun emerged, so did the crowds at Philly street fair

Edit Philadelphia Daily News 24 Apr 2016

As in past years, the festival transformed Broad Street's workaday appearance with landscaping to create a temporary fantasy land ... The north end of the festival was guarded by the giant, pale blue 'Squonk,' an otherworldy god-robot that sprouted feathers and horns during musical performances ... ....

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Edit The Examiner 04 Apr 2016

The Main St Fort Worth Arts Festival is Texas’ largest arts festival that brings people together to experience the best in entertainment, food and culture. This year marks the 31st year for the four day event and will take place from Thursday April 14 through Sunday April 17 in downtown Fort Worth ... to 10p.m., Friday April 15 from 10a.m ... Headliners include Maceo Parker, Poncho Sanchez, Squonk Opera, Band of Heathens and many more ... ....

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Edit Public Technologies 24 Mar 2016

(Source. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra). Posted by Joyce DeFrancesco ... at Heinz Hall ... Musical ambassadors from the orchestra will also be there ... About the Artists ... Attack Theatre has performed and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia including for the Avignon Festival, the 7th Next Wave Dance Festival/Japan, Indonesia Arts Festival, Monaco Danses Forum, the Spoleto Festival and the Broadway production of Squonk....

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Edit The Examiner 29 Jan 2016

By the beginning of 1976, Genesis, which started out as a five-member band, was now down to four. Lead singer Peter Gabriel had decided to go solo, during the tour supporting the album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway ... Key tracks include “Squonk”, “Entangled” and the title track ... ....

Fiddlesticks Family Concerts Presented by Macy’s Invites Families to ‘Dance!’ (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

Edit Public Technologies 21 Jan 2016

(Source. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra). Posted by Joyce DeFrancesco ... at Heinz Hall ... Be sure to wear your dancing shoes to this one! ... About the Artists ... premieres ... Attack Theatre has performed and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia including for the Avignon Festival, the 7th Next Wave Dance Festival/Japan, Indonesia Arts Festival, Monaco Danses Forum, the Spoleto Festival and the Broadway production of Squonk....

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Edit The Hollywood Reporter 20 Nov 2015

0. 0. 0. 0. 0. Email Print Comments ... Premieres ... Burble, Squonk, Thwring and Zorp Director ... Sure ... People are coming for the monsters and when Burble, Squonk, Thwring and Zorp actually show up, Turkey Hollow temporarily perks up ... I have no doubt that kids will love them and wish that they could watch an entire special that was actually dedicated to Burble, Squonk, Thwring and Zorp, allowing us to embrace their different voices and personalities....

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Edit The Charlotte Observer 09 Oct 2015

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The Saxophone Riff That Invented Breakbeat

Edit About.com 03 Sep 2015

"Unwind Yourself" by Marva Whitney (1968). Maceo Parker is generally thought of as the main sax man behind James Brown in his glory years, in part because James would often call him out by name before he'd rip into one of his squonking solos ... James contributed several classic breakbeats and diva vocals to hip-hop history, but it's pretty much guaranteed that St....

Squonk melds art, science, and fun into a massive outdoor music and theatre performance (Virginia ...

Edit Public Technologies 23 Jul 2015

BLACKSBURG, Va., July 23, 2015 - The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech celebrates downtown Blacksburg's annual Steppin' Out event with a variety of family-friendly activities that include music-theatre-visual-spectacle group Squonk, which brings its massive air-powered show, "Pneumatica " on Aug ... Squonk musicians join in, performing ......

ELLNORA Guitar Festival to showcase diverse styles of guitar music (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Edit noodls 20 Apr 2015

(Source. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Photo courtesy Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Grammy Award winners Los Lobos will perform at this year's ELLNORA ... « Click photo to enlarge. 4/20/2015 ... ... Sept. 11 ... 9 ... For a completely different type of show, ELLNORA offers Squonk's Pneumatica, an outdoor event of music and air, featuring a 40-foot-tall inflatable statue with a wind turbine head and accordion lungs breathing steam....

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Edit The Guardian 08 Feb 2015

MPs were on their best behaviour in Michael Cockerell’s sly profile of the Commons, but 10,000 BC was a bloody affair ... Photograph ... Charlie Kennedy was great, homing in with real vituperation on the nonsense of the PMQ “friendly questions fed”, which just allows the backbencher to bathe in the glow of a pat on the head from the PM, who is simply allowed to preen with self-congratulation before he must face the attack-squonk Miliband ... ....

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You can search using any combination of the items listed below.

Showcase for theater and dance

Squonk Opera: Pennsylvania's Most Interesting "Band"

When sun emerged, so did the crowds at Philly street fair

Main St Fort Worth Arts Festival returns to downtown Fort Worth this month

Fiddlesticks Family Concerts Presented by Macy’s Invites Families to ‘Play!’ (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

Rock Hall Anniversary: Genesis’ first album as a foursome

Fiddlesticks Family Concerts Presented by Macy’s Invites Families to ‘Dance!’ (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

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Exuberance of Shostakovich caps Charlotte Symphony concert

The Saxophone Riff That Invented Breakbeat

Squonk melds art, science, and fun into a massive outdoor music and theatre performance (Virginia ...

ELLNORA Guitar Festival to showcase diverse styles of guitar music (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

The week in TV: Inside the Commons; Rory Bremner’s Coalition Report; 10,000 BC; Our Guy in India