Welcome to the "Indian River Fruit Co."
A custom Built diorama constructed in 1989 by Richard E. Bendever. This museum quality display has been sold, but we can be commissioned to construct another high quality model of this detail. Please understand that a model of this magnitude takes time to construct, finish & weather. It is necessary to allow 4-6 weeks for shipment after payment has been received. We appreciate your consideration and business!
We've constructed a fictitious background story for this diorama. Please enjoy the story and the photos portraying the history of this model.
The story
It is 1937 and the "Great Depression is in full bloom. One company after another is quickly going out of business. Hence, the fate of Schramm Manufacturing Co. For nearly 100 years, Schramm has provide hand made fine furniture to the northeastern United States. Now, like many other family-owned business,
the Company cannot even pay the taxes on the property, let alone the hard working skilled labor. And so, life goes on and so does the deterioration of
the Schramm property until the bank has to foreclose on the property.
But at this point, what is left of Schramm is
hardly worth much more than kindling. The Federal government is damming up
rivers for
some sort of crazy scheme to provide 'electricity' and in doing some the river
behind Schramm has dried up and other business have
moved away. Folks say that the ol' Schramm building is now haunted because of all of the folks hurt by the hard times.
But now, it is 10 years later, and some
young military brothers have bought the ol' Schramm building and are trying to make a go of it by planting all the cut-down forest areas with Apples. They call themselves the Indian River fruit Co. They'd be be better calling in the shrinks and saving us all the trouble of chasin' them down and catchin' them in nets to
take them to the bogie house. Yep, a waste of time and money, shoot, the river's hardly a spit on the ground.
Stupid kids. They ain't even got no decent sign an' everybody knows a business with o sign is a sign of no business.
Here is you find the Front head-on view of the Indian River Fruit Co.
Why, the roof looks like it's gonna fall through at any minute. A big ol' oak fell on the 'real' copper roofing and darn near went right into the cider room. They say one of the new owners was a sittin' on the inside toilet and darn near ruined hisself when the tree fell into the buildin'.
There he is hisself, fool kid. He's a got to be touched in the head if he's gonna pick apples in theme gonna go ta church threads. Ya know, i do believe that heeza carrin' a woman's purse. He ought to be up there on the ruff fixin' the spot where's the ol' oak felled
down on it.
Here, we's looking at the
left rear of the building. Those darn electrik folks are go in aroun' stickin' those darn electrik poles everywhere. Ain't they a sight. Down right ugly if you was to ask me!
It's fun to create a "background" story for a
model. I have found that the story brings life to a model and provides a certain
amount of realism to the
possibility that perhaps this is a model of a real point in history. Who knows;
perhaps it is!
Speaking of realism on a model, would find it
hard to believe that all of the details (except for the car & truck out front
and the figures are "cast in Hot Glue"? Look closely at the photo to the right.
The doors, windows, awnings, barrels, bumpers; they're all hot glue. Yep, and I
even wrote an article about it in the 1996 NG&SL Gazette magazine.
Happy Modeling, Richard/Ben
