The Detroit Bureau

And our winner is ...

Beware bovines from above.  We never knew it was so dangerous out in the New Age mecca of Taos, New Mexico until reader Nicole Ridlen submitted an unusual road sign warning drivers to watch out for falling rocks and cows.  Now she’ll receive a $500 gift certificate as the winner in TheDetroitBureau.com’s 1st annual Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs Contest.

We’ve been amazed at some of the entries that have landed in our e-mailbox…the flood of wacky entries prompting us to leave things open as long as possible.  But, alas, we had to eventually bring this good thing to an end and now, it’s time to announce all of the winners.

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We asked readers to weigh in on a selection of 14 finalists chosen from the 100s of images we’ve received.  And, wow, did readers let us know what they liked – since Labor Day the finalists collectively tallied over 100,000 votes. Unfortunately, the two top picks have been disqualified.  It appears they plucked their images off the web in violation of the rules which require that all entries be original and that entrants had full rights to use them.  That knocked out “Stop – No Turns,” which would’ve garnered the top prize, as well as “No Hooking,” which came in a very close second.  Both entrants have agreed to withdraw from the contest.

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Too bad, that First Place prize is a $500 Bridgestone Tire gift certificate, something we know every motorist can eventually use.  So, congratulations to Ms. Ridlen for her udderly ridiculous image.

The Detroit Bureau

Ignorance of the law ... will win you 2nd place.

And to our new 2^nd Place winner, who goes by the handle “MGCarNut.”  He’ll be receiving a new digital camera for his entry, “City Parking Confusion.”  He may need it to try to defend himself against a ticket if he ever tries to park there again.

The Detroit Bureau

Thanks for the heads-up ... our 3rd Place winner.

Third Place – and a new portable navigation system with real-time traffic – goes to J. Scnatzen for “Sidewalk Ends.”  Perhaps the biggest surprise was receiving three similar images during the course of the contest.  We’re awarding the prize to the first of those entries.

Close behind were “Water with H2O,” and “No doctor, no hospital, one cemetery,” as well as “Eat Here, Get Gas.”  They’ll receive some lovely consolation prizes, including this year’s collectible posters from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

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Thanks to all those who’ve snapped some truly Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs and keep looking for more as we’ll likely be back with this contest again next year.  In the meantime, keep an eye out for more contests from TheDetroitBureau.com and its sponsors, including Bridgestone, Nissan and NBC News.

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We’ve had a hard time keeping a straight face ever since we asked our readers to submit some of the Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs they’ve spotted while driving. The contest has clearly resonated with readers who’ve filled our email box with hundreds of entries from around the world.

The Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs Contest has brought us signs that warn of falling sheep, others that tell us to “Grinn and Baret” or advise us we’ve reached the German village of Windpassing. 

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Helpful road crews have posted parking signs that would require a law degree to comprehend. And readers have sent us plenty of inexplicable billboards – like one that promoted a new brand of bottled water, “now with H2O”!

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Trying to sort through this motley collection hasn’t been easy and it seems that each of our judges – which include members of TheDetroitBureau.com, and sponsors such as NBC News – has individual favorites.  But we’ve been able to pare the list down to 14 finalists and now we’re asking your help in selecting the winners.

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Remember, there are some great prizes at stake, including a $500 gift certificate from Bridgestone Tires, a great digital camera, a navi system with traffic and weather, and more!

So, check out the pictures and give us a hand by voting below for your favorite. We’ll announce the winners on Sept. 10. 

1) Water Now with H2O
We appreciate truth in advertising, but we really have to wonder what this company was offering in their water before they added H2O.

2) Be Careful
We probably didn’t need the sign to figure out there was a problem ahead. But it’s likely a good idea to find another route.

3) Electricity Drive
We got a real charge out of this pun-y entry from a reader in Windsor, Ontario.

4) Grinn & Barret
This is what we’ve often been told to do, especially after trying to sort through 100s of entries to choose the finalists for the Wacky Street Signs Contest.

5) Danger, Danger, Danger
Believe us if we tell you we’d have also turned around and gone in the other direction.

6) Stop!
Turn left? No. Right? No? Uh, how do we get out of here?

7) Eat Here and Get Gas
Gee, didn’t we eat there just the other day? Again, while we appreciate truth in advertising, we just might go to the diner across the street.

8) City Parking Confusion
This explains why we got that $50 fine last week. Next time we try to park her you might want to call your lawyer first.

9) Windpassing
Does this Austrian town just happen to have an Eat-and-Get-Gas Café? We’re hoping this is just a case of lost-in-translation.

10) Falling Cow
We never knew it was so dangerous driving around Taos, New Mexico.  When  was the last time your car was hit by a falling cow?

11) No Hooking
Um? What can we add except, get a hotel room next time?

12) Mine Shafts Ahead
Who’da thought it was so dangerous wandering through the Australian Outback? Apparently you have to watch your step in mine country around Coober Pedy.

13) No doctor, no hospital, one cemetery
Here’s another place – in New Zealand, it turns out – we’re planning to just drive through and keep going.

14) Sidewalk Ends
Really? Does that explain what that green stuff is?  We were wondering how they got concrete to look like grass.

Vote for your favorite

Correction: Earlier versions of this story incorrectly identified Sign No. 9 as being located in Germany. Also, Sign No. 10 warns of a cow falling, not a sheep.

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