53
DiscoverMaineMagazine.com other major landmarks that he had only seen in magazines. After discovering only two Chinese restaurants, he simply concluded that he was in a suburb of San Francisco. He then hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take him to downtown San Francisco after which the driver responded, “That is a 3,000mile journey!” Somewhat unnerved by this revelation, Kreuz found a German restaurant in Old Town, where he befriended its German-speaking owner, Gertrude Romine. Kreuz was then provided with a complete picture of his dilemma and a hotel room in Milford while they figured out how to help the man. Through word-of-mouth, Kreuz’s story was eventually written up as a short humorous article in the Bangor Daily News. At that point, the article seemed to fulfill its purpose of simply “filling the page.” However, the story went national, and Kreuz unintentionally gained his so-called “15 minutes of fame.”
Over the following two weeks, Kreuz was welcomed by the people of Bangor and transformed into a local celebrity. For example, he was made a member of the Rotary Club in Old Town, an honorary member of the Penobscot Indian nation, and the guest of honor at an Oktoberfest event. He was even flown to Augusta to meet the governor and the Secretary of State at the Maine Statehouse. On his 50th birthday, Kreuz celebrated the milestone at a McDonald’s on Union Street in Bangor since his wish was to taste a Big Mac after having seen a German television commercial regarding the “Big Mac Attack.” Finally, a couple from the town of St. Francis gave him a one-acre lot overlooking the St. John River. In the U.S., Kreuz’s story was covered in Time magazine and on NBC’s Today Show, where Tom Brokaw praised the people of Bangor for their hospitality. In Germany his story was covered by two well-known magazines:
FAMILY FARMS ARE DISAPPEARING IN MAINE...
Stern and Der Spiegel. When the news reached San Francisco, the people there were so amused that the San Francisco Examiner offered to pay for his flight to the city. Upon arriving in San Francisco, then Mayor George Moscone gave him a key to the city and he was honored both in Chinatown and at the famed San Francisco Cow Palace. However, as quickly as everything occurred, the interest in Kreuz ended when he boarded the flight back to Germany. In an awkward acknowledgement of their mistake, World Airways officials asked Kreuz to pose with a sign that read (both in English and German), “Please let me off in Frankfurt!” In October 1978, one year after his highly publicized excursion, Kreuz was invited back to Bangor for a rather lengthy one-month visit sponsored by the Equitable Life Assurance Company (now known as Equitable Life Insurance). The purpose of this second visit was to capitalize on his fame by invit(continued on page 54)
Oliver’s
Heating & Plumbing LLC
Dan Oliver, Proprietor
... and with each one goes another piece of our rich rural culture!
You Can Help Preserve Maine’s Rural Heritage! The Curran Homestead Living History Farm & Museum P.O. Box 107 • Orrington, ME 04472 • tel: 207-745-4426 • www.curranhomestead.org Artifacts and financial donations are tax deductible via 501(c)(3) non-profit status
207-947-1106
262 Bomarc Road, Bangor, Maine
Office: 307-7901 Emergency: 659-0104 Shop located at 230 C Bomarc Rd. Bangor, ME 04401 147 Rebel Hill Rd. • Clifton, ME 04428
www.hartt-trans.com Equal Opportunity Employer
Celebrating 65 Years!
Cheese • Gourmet Foods • Beer & Ale
Setting The Service Standard Since 1948
195 State Street, Bangor, ME 04401 • 207.262.9500
www.streetwine.com