The Matchstick Marvels Museum In Gladbrook, Iowa

Recently I found myself in Gladbrook, Iowa, population 950, give or take a handful. This city (town? village? hamlet?) is located in  east-central Iowa and has to be one of the most interesting places I've ever visited.

For starters, the city (town? village? hamlet?), while boasting about a quarter of the population of the high school I attended, does have a movie theater (all showings are $2.00), a bowling alley, a public indoor swimming pool, biking and hiking trails, a 24-hour gym...and Patrick Acton's Matchstick Marvels museum (right next to the city hall).

When I first saw the signs advertising the museum as I was driving along Iowa highway 96 I thought to myself, "Hmmm, probably a bunch of doll houses or little log cabins."

Man o' man was I wrong.

Patrick Acton does not build doll houses or little log cabins out of matchsticks. He builds 500 pound Millennium Falcons with functioning landing gear, fully lit interiors and rotating antennas.

Patrick Acton is the Leonardo Da Vinci of Matchstick sculpture, as he is both an artist and a genius level engineer.

What this man creates with matchsticks is absolutely mind-boggling. Heck, the Ripley's Believe It or Not museums have purchased several of his creations and have them on display.

I'm going to post a few pics of what he has built using matchsticks, but I will also state that the pics do not do the creations justice - these have to be seen to be fully appreciated.