A Pennsylvania tire-shop worker turned discarded rubber into a prize-winning parade lion, then built an eight-foot, 700-pound fire-breathing dragon that won first prize and became a roadside attraction
Along a Pennsylvania roadside, an ordinary tire shop has become an unlikely gallery of giant creatures. What began as a parade project has grown into a collection of fantastical sculptures made from discarded rubber, metal and salvaged materials. At the centre of it all is Noah Russell, a young tire-shop worker whose imagination has transformed old tyres into a prize-winning lion, a fire-breathing dragon and an increasingly popular roadside attraction in Littlestown.
From tyre shop to creative workshop
Russell works at Breighner’s Tire Center, where owner Randy Breighner first noticed his ability to turn used tyres into something far more imaginative. According to Atlas Obscura, Breighner challenged Russell to create a float for Littlestown’s annual Good Ole Days Festival parade.The result was a lion constructed largely from tyres. According to Atlas Obscura and Wavy News, the creation won first place, giving Russell an unusual platform for what would become a continuing artistic experiment. The following year, he decided that another parade entry needed to be considerably more ambitious. The lion was replaced by an eight-foot-tall dragon made from vulcanized rubber and other repurposed materials.
Building a dragon from discarded rubber
As per Wavy News, the dragon’s construction relied heavily on materials Russell encountered through his work at the tyre centre. Turf tyres, commonly used on lawn equipment, became the primary material for the body because they could be cut and shaped relatively easily. Their tread patterns also created a naturally scaly appearance.Metal formed the foundation of the wings, while coat hangers helped shape and support them. Russell also saved classic whitewall tyres that had come into the shop, eventually transforming them into the dragon’s teeth and horns.The result was a sculpture that turned a familiar waste material into something theatrical and almost mythical.
The creature that breathes fire
The dragon’s most dramatic feature is its ability to produce real flames. According to Wavy News, a motor pushes butane through a long brake line, while a remotely operated heated coil ignites the gas.The mechanical system gives the sculpture its signature fire-breathing effect, turning an already imposing roadside installation into something that commands attention.Atlas Obscura notes that the dragon went on to win first place at the Good Ole Days Festival parade, giving Russell consecutive victories. Its popularity soon carried beyond Littlestown, with the creation appearing in Halloween parades in Gettysburg and Hanover.
A roadside menagerie takes shape
Russell’s creativity did not stop with the lion and dragon. He later constructed an elaborate headless horseman sculpture, although the parade where it was intended to appear was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.Instead, the horseman joined the lion and dragon at the tyre shop. According to Atlas Obscura, the three sculptures became a source of entertainment and community spirit during the pandemic.Over time, the collection expanded further, adding a horned stag and a reef populated with aquatic creatures. WGAL News and Atlas Obscura have covered how the tire center on Hanover Pike’s odd displays have become a local landmark.What began with a request for a parade float has ultimately transformed a working tire shop into an open-air showcase of creative recycling, where discarded rubber finds an unexpected second life as fantastical art.Images Courtesy: istock and Atlas Obscura
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