Diary of a Wedding Guest: Part 4 - The Bubble Gum Machines

Throughout this story, our readers will be treated to list of anomallies that will poke fun at the state of Michigan. Don't get me wrong, I like the state of Michigan. It is a very beautiful state with lots of wonderful things to do. I have always enjoyed visiting the coasts of the great lakes and seeing the different lighthouses. In fact, Michigan is really where my love of lighthouses began. But enough about that, just know that no matter how much I poke fun at the state of Michigan, I really do like the state.

The rest of our trip through Ohio was relatively uneventful. We stopped for lunch on the northside of Toledo and shortly thereafter entered Michigan. It was Lori's first visit to Michigan. I had been here several times, but it had been more than ten years since my last visit and I had never been to the Detroit area.

Shortly after entering Michigan, I saw the first of many "Bubble Gum Machines". It made me laugh. I had completely forgotten about the "Bubble Gum Machines" until that time. They had changed a bit in the last ten years, but I think the name still fits. I say that because the "Bubble Gum Machines" are not actually bubble gum machines. You probably figured that out already. In fact, the "Bubble Gum Machines" don't even refer to candy machines. The name refers to the single red light that sits atop Michigan's State Police cruisers. Yes, when it comes to their cars, the Michigan State Police are unmistakable. Their cars are equipped with a single dome shaped red light like the one on Sheriff Andy Taylor's patrol car in Mayberry. This first one had a car pulled over for the purposes of issuing a citation.

We called them "Bubble Gum Machines" because the light's dome shape reminded us of a bubble gum machine. Michigan has to be the last state to continue to use these outdated sirens and for the life of me, I don't know why. I am not sure if I should feel sorry for the humiliated officers driving those patrol cars or if I should laugh at how funny and stupid the lights look on top of the cars. Today, the lights don't appear to be domed. The ones that I saw this time were flattops. Never the less, the single red light will always be a "Bubble Gum Machine".