Driving our RV down Stone Chimney Road near Holden Beach, Chris and I weren’t exactly planning to be jolted into a roadside parable—but that’s exactly what happened. As we cruised along the edge of Supply, North Carolina, we came upon a row of toilets perched on a wall, each with mannequins sticking out like some twisted tribute to roadside weirdness. It immediately brought to mind the Animal Wall at Cardiff Castle in Wales—only this version was far more gritty and, in a strange way, quite spiritual. This wasn’t a town or a park, but a living art installation that looked like a cross between a junkyard and a sermon. Welcome to Fort Apache and you wouldn’t believe what we found.
The next day, we returned with my cousin Denise and her husband Mark to explore it more deeply. And let me tell you—this place isn’t just strange. It’s sacred satire. It’s a roadside reckoning. Created by a local man named Dale Varnam—known affectionately (and aptly) as “Crazy Dale”—Fort Apache is more than the sum of its mannequins, wrecked cars, and junkyard scenes. It’s the story of one man’s fall and rise. Dale once did hard time for drug trafficking. But with creativity, conviction, and a message, he came out with a plan to warn others. He turned his family’s old property into what he calls a “bemusement park.” It fits. You’re amused. You’re confused. You’re a little disturbed. And then, right when you’re about to dismiss it, you get it.
Old RVs warn against the destruction of drug addiction. Hand-painted signs say things like, “Worry Less, Pray More,” and “If You Dance With the Devil, You Gotta Pay the Piper.” There’s a truck covered in empty vodka bottles, scenes showing overdoses and arrests, and mock jail cells labeled “Busted.” You walk through and realize it’s not about condemning people, but about pulling them out of the pit. It’s Dale’s visual version of Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This place is bizarre, no doubt. But it’s also bold. It’s an allegory in three dimensions. Dale has turned pain into parable. And it’s even more ironic. Mark told us that Brunswick County–where Ft Apache is located—has the most septic systems in all of North Carolina.
Dale’s story is written literally and figuratively across the walls—flush the you-know-what out of your life, and get right with God. The place makes you laugh one moment, then reflect the next. You can’t help but think of the lives ruined by addiction, or the loved ones praying for prodigals to return home. And right in the middle of it all is Jesus. Not in a cheesy bumper-sticker kind of way, but in the gritty, life-saving, light-in-the-darkness kind of way. This isn’t a sermon from a pulpit—it’s a metaphorical oration from a scrapyard. So, yes, Fort Apache is weird. Delightfully, disturbingly weird. But it’s also one of the most honest, hope-filled places we’ve ever stumbled across. If you’re heading toward Holden Beach, keep your eyes open. You might just find grace tucked between a mannequin and a toilet seat.
