A few ‘locals’ refer to the Lava Lamp as an icon of the 1960’s and equate its existence to the use of drugs and indiscriminate sex. Their reasoning is that if a giant Lava Lamp is placed in Soap Lake it will inspire untold acts of sexual pleasure and attract dope smokers and other trip seekers. It’s likely these things are already happening on a regular basis around the lake. Afterall, it’s one of the most beautiful natural settings in the state of Washington, who wouldn’t want to find a cozy place along the shore to make love?

 

Eight years ago when the idea of building a sixty-five foot Lava Lamp in downtown Soap Lake made international news; crews from countless networks, along with reporters, television cameras and a documentary film crew roamed the streets asking questions and looking for photo ops of the locals. Soap Lake made a wide and tall blip on the media scanner that put it on the world map of unusual places to watch. There were several more spikes most notably when Target Corporation agreed in 2004 to donate their 50-foot mechanical version of the Lava Lamp that had spent the previous year affixed to a building in Times Square. Target not only donated the lamp, they paid to have it disassembled and shipped across the United States on six flatbed trucks loaded with 48,000 pounds of steel and plastic parts. This mechanical version was really only a half-lamp; more of a façade designed for a 180 degree impression on the front of a building. With only half a lamp and even less in their cup, the city couldn’t wiggle free from its inertia. The documentary was finished, several seasons came and went and occasionally someone would pass through town and ask where the lamp was.

 

Last year Andy Kovach, a distinguished Seattle architect with a home in Soap Lake came up with a new concept for the lamp that is not only beautiful and looks exactly like a Lava Lamp, it uses new-age high tech materials and parts. It is this new design, and the collaborations and fund-raising plans that Andy and his wife Nel have forged ahead with that make the idea compelling and realistic to build. Their plan places the Lava Lamp right smack dab on a prominent rock outcropping in the middle of town overlooking the lake, making it highly visible, especially at night to southbound travelers on highway 17.

Long term plans include walking trails along the lake from the Calling the Healing Waters statue on the East Beach to the Lava Lamp. 

 

The new lamp is a beacon. It will ignite the passion of those who love lighthouses along with countless others who will visit and take photographs and video that they will share with friends and family across a universe of social networks. Visitors will drive up and down Main street, buy gas at the Shell station, take in a show at Masquers Theater, eat at Don’s, the B and B or the Desert Diner, stay at the Inn or the Lodge, get a massage at Healing Water Spa and walk up and down the street; just like people have for over a century in Soap Lake. All of this they will share on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Flikr, SmugMug, Photo Bucket and countless other digital niches that fill universal spaces between Soap Lake and Labrador. These visitors will be our guests, they will swim in the lake, slather themselves with therapeutic mud, and marvel at the laid back atmosphere. Some will notice the empty storefronts and consider relocating here to start a business. Some will fall in love with Soap Lake and decide to buy a home, or purchase one to restore. 

 

Is the Lava Lamp a good idea for Soap Lake? Yes it is, and not just because it’s an awesome iconic symbol of the 1960’s that hundreds of millions of people around the world relate to, but because it will draw guests to Soap Lake. For well over a hundred years Soap Lake has welcomed guests who enjoyed the gifts of the lake, the mud, sunshine, friendly people and the quiet, off-the-beaten-path feel. Guests have always been welcome here and over the years many become residents and as residents they started businesses or bought homes. Guests came to stay because they fell in love with the place. That is the history of this town – that will not change. The Lava Lamp illuminates the hopes of many who see it as an opportunity for increased prosperity and a new hopeful future.