'Redneck Stonehenge:' Hooper Farmer's car fence attracting global attention
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By GREG BOYLES
Standard-Examiner Staff
HOOPER -- Rhett Davis and his self-proclaimed Redneck Stonehenge have received attention from California to Austria, and Davis isn't done yet.
On Monday, the Standard-Examiner ran a story about Davis and the ad-hoc fence he erected in his backyard by digging large holes with a backhoe and planting three old demolition derby cars nose-first.
The idea came to Davis after new neighbors who purchased a home behind his farm complained his animals attract too many bugs and his tractor kicks up too much dust.
"A lot of people moving from areas like Taylor into Hooper have been complaining about the farms," Davis said. "(But) you don't want to tick off a redneck with a backhoe -- that's just not a good idea."
Within hours after the story was first published, Davis received calls from almost 20 news outlets, including radio stations and newspapers from across the country.
The Standard-Examiner's story was picked up by news wire services and Web sites, so it was available around the world.
Davis said Tuesday he has also been contacted by more than 30 farmers from outside Utah who share his struggle and wanted to offer their support.
"I had a guy call me yesterday, named Bubba, and he said, 'Hey, I've got 40 more cars for you to bury if you'd like,' " Davis said.
"Even a guy from the New York Times called me and said, 'Two thumbs up, keep on trucking.' "
Davis said he had no intention of doing something as drastic as slamming three old cars into the ground until after he went out of his way to make his new neighbors comfortable.
"I had cattle that I put on our land across the street, I put up a hot wire fence, I even offered to pay half of the cost of a new fence," Davis said. "But these people just don't want to do anything."
Originally, Davis planted a single neon green and yellow car, but decided it didn't make a strong enough statement, so he proceeded to plant two more. Now he's decided that three doesn't really make a full fence and will spend this weekend completing his creation.
"I don't really want to ruffle a lot of feathers, but I think I'll put two or three more up before I take it down, just to finish off the fence, just to get an extra point across," Davis said.
Hooper Mayor Glenn Barrow said, from the city's standpoint, it does not appear Rhett has done anything wrong.
"We do have a nuisance ordinance that prohibits people from keeping junk cars on their property, but I don't think this falls under that category," he said.
So far, no official complaints have been made by neighbors in reference to Davis' fence, but Barrow said the occasional disagreement between a farmer and his new neighbors is not new.
"We've had 1,500 people move into the city in the past few years," he said, "and our position is very similar to Rhett's, and as long as they (farmers) continue farming, they have the right to continue that function of their property."
So far, none of Davis' neighbors have spoken to him about the addition to his yard, although a few have told other media sources they are not overly pleased about it.
"A couple of the newspapers came out and went over to them (neighbors), and they declined to speak to them. One lady didn't give her name, but she said she didn't like it," Davis said.
And although Davis did want to make a point with this new fence, he still stands by his statement that all of this is just in good fun and eventually his Redneck Stonehenge will come tumbling down.
"It was all worth it. It's been a lot of fun."
(Updated August 5, 2008 11:26 p.m.)
Hooper farmer builds car fence in jest, protest
The idea came to Davis after neighbors who recently moved into homes next to his hayfield started complaining about the farm.
"The people who bought the homes say, 'Well, we love looking into your yard and seeing the horses and the cattle, but we don't like the flies, and we don't like the mosquitoes,' and when I cut my field to bale it, they say, 'We don't like the dust in the air,' " Davis said.
After hearing the complaints, Davis offered to pay half of the cost of a fence between the two properties and even offered to build it, but his neighbors told him they didn't want it blocking their view.
The neighbors declined to speak with the Standard-Examiner for this article.
After that exchange with the neighbors, Davis used his backhoe to dig three large holes on the border of his property, then took three cars that had competed in demolition derbies and slammed them nose-first into the earth.
Though Davis said planting his new decorations was done more out of good humor than spite, he feels it's important for all the new families who are moving out into the country to realize that Hooper remains a farming community.
Hundreds of homes are popping up in the rural fields, bringing with them city folks who desire a quiet country atmosphere but don't want to deal with the smells and noises of farm life, Davis said.
Many Hooper families have owned their farms for generations.
Davis said he can remember when his grandfather owned numerous acres of hayfields, including the area where the new subdivision sits.
"I respect that they're here and spent a lot on their homes, but on the other hand, give me a little bit, too. I've been here since I was 7 years old," he said.
Davis said his neighbors aren't the only people to build nice homes alongside farms and end up being less than thrilled with their neighbors.
"A lot of people moving from areas like Taylor into Hooper have been complaining about the farms. A lot of them have formed petitions to try and get the farmers to get rid of their tractors or to not cut their hay at 9 at night, when that's the coolest time to do it," he said.
These extreme measures have not been aimed at Davis, which he credits to his part-time farming and flexible personality.
"I've talked to my neighbors and worked things out. I really just thought this would be a funny thing to do," he said of his Redneck Stonehenge.
But for other farmers who've spent their whole lives doing nothing but working their fields, this transition is a little harder.
"Although other farmers haven't gone to this extent, some of the farmers who are older than me and have been doing this for a long time are pretty upset," Davis said.
The three vehicles he planted are just temporary, and he'll remove them when he gets the itch.
"These can come out just as easy as they went in."
HOOPER -- With a backhoe, three old cars and a little ingenuity, local farmer Rhett Davis erected a makeshift fence in his backyard as a message to those moving into the recently developed subdivision behind his home that the farming community was here first.
"This is just a fun way for me to say, 'Hey boys, I'm still here,' so I started building a fence out of cars," he said. "This is my redneck Stonehenge."
Add Your Comment
Rhett is not I repeat not a farmer. He has no cows, one horse and a goat. The Newspaper blew this way out of proportion and Rhett has lied his way through this whole thing. He didn't grow up there and only moved in when his grandfather died like seven years ago. HE is a redneck, but not a farmer and continues to tell people all kinds of lies to get attention to himself. The neighbors behind him are not evil. The newspaper never even tried to contact some of them. I guess that is how journalism goes sometimes though.