Imagine the scene:

The location is Richmond, Virginia. The date is March 2020. The COVID pandemic is in full force, the world around you is more unsteady than ever, and you’re in lockdown.

You work in a hospital, and you find yourself getting burned out. You decide that maybe the solution is to hop in the car and head across the country, searching for the ideal location to open a business that exists only in your head. 

You’re about a month into your trip, and you hear about a ball of twine near Cawker City, Kansas, which is known as the world’s largest. You decide that it sounds intriguing, so you decide to go check it out. It is, in fact, intriguing, and there is even a building for sale located very near the ball of twine. Unable to resist the affordable price, you decide to buy it, uproot your life in Virginia, and move to Kansas to open a business that to this point, has only existed in your mind. 

What perhaps sounds like a made-up scenario is actually reality for Matt and Julie Alford, whose decision to pursue something more, something different, has led to the creation of quite possibly one of the oddest, most interesting, and certainly most intriguing places in Kansas: Eyegore’s Odditorium and Monster Museum, located in Cawker City.

Matt, a lover of old monster movies and anything sci-fi, and with the talent of building, constructing, and envisioning just about anything, describes opening the Odditorium as an opportunity that he could not pass up. “I spent two months driving across America trying to find all the roadside attractions, monsters, dinosaurs, aliens, and this just felt like an opportunity,” he explained.

When he spotted an empty building for sale in Cawker City, he called the number on the sign and the rest is history. “The idea of doing something on our own and doing something different, sounded possible. Paired with the extra reasonable cost to buy property in Kansas, I sold my house in Virginia, we emptied our retirements, and invested everything into this,” he explained.  

Matt’s now-wife, Julie, who describes herself as more introverted than Matt, was still living in Virginia at the time. She was working as a foster parent specialist and the couple had only been dating for a couple of months when Matt took off on his cross-county jaunt. Julie joined him for part of the trip, but was back home in Virginia when Matt ventured to Kansas.

“Matt came back and said ‘I bought a building in Kansas…do you want to go?’… I knew I would regret it if I didn’t try, and that I could go back to Virginia if it didn’t work or if I didn’t like it,” she said.

So, despite the fact that she had never even been in Kansas, on a wing and a prayer, Julie decided to join Matt in the endeavor. “I have never been a risk taker until now, so, apparently that’s what I do now,” says Julie with a smile.

The two, along with Julie’s 10-year old son Colin, made the move.

Matt is the self-proclaimed ‘Wizard of Odd’, while Julie is known as the ‘Master of Monster Management’. Together, the couple owns, manages, and runs the Odditorium. By definition, an odditorium is a ‘collection of odd things’. The inspiration for the name came from a combination of Mel Gibson’s 1974 “Young Frankenstein” film, and a teenage memory of a pickup truck that Matt once owned.

While neither Matt nor Julie has a background or degree in business, they are finding their business venture to be an enjoyable success. “We’re just doing whatever feels right. We’re just winging it,” said Matt with a laugh. 

They may be winging it, but the culmination of their dreams and actions is proving to be a winning idea.

The story behind the Odditorium is almost as original as the business itself. Visitors to the Odditorium will find some of the “oddest” things in Kansas, including but not limited to a baby alien who crash-landed in New Mexico in 1947, remains of the world’s only vampire chicken, a collection of real human brains, and even a “Frankenstein skeleton”- a skeleton made up of real human bones. 

The couple drew upon their observations of what they had seen while taking their cross-country trip. Julie explains that they try to replicate what they liked, and avoid what they didn’t find as appealing.

Matt expresses a desire to be the expert on “Kansas weirdness”, and he states that hopefully the Odditorium will bring more people to North Central Kansas, to see the ball of twine, and encourage the visitors to stay around for a little bit longer. 

Matt, who has an extensive background as both a sci-fi movie buff and as a former employee of haunted houses, sees the potential in Northwest Kansas. “Opportunity is obtainable – you don’t have to be a millionaire to have a dream and see it through,” he says.

In addition to the odd displays and amazing items, the Odditorium has a gift shop where people can find all kinds of neat buys. According to Roadside America, it also serves as the official outlet for the World’s Largest Ball of Twine t-shirts and souvenirs, and even has a dispenser of officially-sanctioned sisal twine for travelers who want to add to the Ball.

“Aside from the ‘wacky’, we have stuff for kids to buy like joke stuff, monster finger puppets, t-shirts, nostalgic candy…the stuff we sell, we want to start a conversation or memory for the people. We want people to spend time and talk, and have a good time,” Matt explained.

Matt and Julie both draw on their own personal strengths. Matt does the envisioning and creating, while Julie provides help with the business end of the operations. While they both have separate talents, they share a business philosophy that ultimately makes the Odditorium a wild and wacky success.

“Our philosophy is to have a good time and for the people to come in to have a good time. We want to create a family friendly roadside attraction, something that feels kind of nostalgic, and helps you smile,” said Julie.

The Odditorium officially opened its doors to the public on April 23, 2021, and during the peak season sees about 200+ visitors a week. Right now, the Odditorium is open 10am-5pm every day except Wednesdays, and during the off-season, they are open on the weekends. There is no admission to visit the Odditorium, but they do accept donations to further their cause.

Matt, who works at the Lakeside School District during the school year, makes most of the props and enjoys watching people come in and get a kick out of them. “Having people come in and tell them the story or the joke and to see the people get the joke behind it is pretty gratifying,” he says. 

Julie, who is the Student Activity Coordinator at NCK Tech, has enjoyed watching her husband’s dream come true. “I really enjoy watching the way Matt’s brain works. ‘Oh I found this thing, and here’s what it’s gonna be’…that’s very fun for me.”

They both enjoy getting to talk to people from all over the United States and even from different countries.

Both are incredibly grateful for the community support they have received. “We stand back when there’s people in here and enjoying it and just can’t believe it. The community has been nothing but supportive and it’s been great,” said Matt. 

There are ideas for expansion, but the couple is not currently yet ready to put them into play. One future aspiration includes being the proud owners of the world’s largest monster finger puppet, which is the Odditorium’s mascot.

The couple, who tied the knot at the ball of twine, also does wedding packages at the ball of twine and has hosted several weddings there. “That ball of twine is the sole reason why we’re here…. that’s a huge deal for us,” says Matt.

To stay up to date on what’s new and odd at the Odditorium, follow them on Facebook or Instagram. And the next time you’re in the area, hop off the Interstate and head to Cawker City to view both the World’s Largest Ball of Twine and Eyegore’s Odditorium and Monster Museum. They promise the drive off the Interstate will be worth it! “There’s stuff out there– just open your eyes and go find it. Life is too short to just worry about the bad stuff and stay at home all the time.”