Mugshot Monday took a week off, and it’s back with another find from the 1990’s.
I found this gigantic mug at the thrift store House of Treasures two weeks ago when I joined a couple of blogger friends on a road trip to Belmond, Iowa.
This mug is actually a beer stein produced by Ceramarte of Brazil for Anhueser-Busch, Inc. to commemorate the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. For as long as I can remember, I especially loved watching gymnastics and tried to mimic their floor routines in my backyard and parallel bar kips on the playground at school.
Back in 1996, I was 12. I don’t remember a lot about that summer. I searched for information about this mug and was reminded about a terrible bombing that occurred at the Centennial Olympic Park. The explosion killed two people and injured many, and the perpetrator wasn’t caught until 2003.
I also learned that the city of Atlanta was chosen to host the games over Athens, Greece. According to this NPR article, the Olympics “launched $1 billion dollars of construction projects” in Atlanta and contributed to its population growth from 3.5 million-5.5 million between 1996-2011 leaving a legacy of triumphs and challenges for its residents.
It’s fascinating to imagine how this commemorative mug ended up on the shelves of a thrift store in the tiny town of Belmond, Iowa. The mug cost $1 at the thrift shop, and is selling for anywhere between $7-$40 online.
Next week, I’m excited to welcome another Mugshot Monday guest. Amy Crea is another one of my favorite writers. You can find her wanderlusting at WCCO’s Wander Minnesota and writing about food at The Heavy Table. She wrote one of my favorite pieces possibly ever about enlisting the help of residents of the Mala Strana Assisted Living home to taste-test kolacky from New Prague, Minnesota-area bakeries.
Great mugstein! How does coffee taste in in, I wonder? Does it have a bit of other flavor seeping into it or was it really never used for beer?
Aw, you’re so nice! 🙂
What a neat mug! I really like that it’s clearly labeled of what it is commemorating! I went to Atlanta in 1998 for a church youth convention and visited Olympic park. It is quite impressive and you couldn’t help but be in awe of the tragedy that took place there along with knowing the amazing Olympians that walked around the park!
I was 18 in 96. It was the year I graduated high school and I remember the Olympics being in Atlanta. It’s a very cool mug 🙂