The Dirty Sink

The Dirty Sink is a roadside attraction outside Kingston, Eastshield. The attraction is a sink that was put in a field one day in the 1960s. Since then, the sink has become very dirty because no one bothered to clean it. In the 1980s, the field was bought by an investor trying to make some money out of it, and it was turned into a tourist trap off the main road. A parking lot, a museum, and a gift shop were constructed, and money was quickly made. Today, the Dirty Sink is known in the Kingston area for the billboards it has put up on the side of the road and attracting a crowd of tourists from all around the United States of Antarctica. The Dirty Sink is also a major part of the economy in the rural area outside of Kingston, as it is such a big tourist trap. This means there is some fear over what may happen to the area should the sink be stolen or cleaned.

Background
In 1964, a local farmhouse was being renovated. When the bathroom sink was being replaced, it was put into the field where it stayed there around twenty years. The Dirty Sink Museum claims that many interesting things happened during this time, such as the sink being used as a place where a gang of bank robbers stashed their money, or a wizard cast a spell on it to give it magical properties. It is confirmed that it was stolen in 1979, but after the thief realised that it was nothing of value that decided to return it. In the time before the sink was put in the field and the investor buying the field, the sink became very dirty. By 1981, the taps had rusted over, and the bowl was covered in grime. In 1985, an investor by the name of Roderick Roosevelt bought the field that the sink stands on, hoping to make money off it. He started by constructing a sprawling parking lot in the space between the field and the main road. Next, he had a museum and a gift shop constructed. The sink itself was moved onto a dais to emphasise its status, with a large sign behind saying "The Dirty Sink" it in order show its location. A clean sink was also installed, to show the comparison between the dirty sink and a clean sink. Next, Roderick had billboards put up all around the area on the sides of roads to attract tourists. This advertising campaign worked, as now thousands of curious tourists visit the Dirty Sink every year. In 1998, Roderick sold the Dirty Sink to local resident of Kingston. The buyer focused on making more money from the sink, so they expanded the gift shop and made it so that it must be passed through in order to exit the premises. The billboards were also changed from signs on the side of the road to full sized billboards held up on tall poles. Toady the Dirty Sink is a notorious tourist trap.

Involvement
Due to its high tourist intake, the Dirty Sink is a major player in the local rural economy. Since its opening in 1985 there has been an increase in employment either from penguins being employed by the Dirty Sink's management itself, or other local businesses in the area turning a higher profit due to higher employment rates from the Dirty Sink. This has made the Dirty Sink one of the most valuable assets of the local economy. Without it, the area will suffer a depression and high unemployment. This means a lot has been done to keep the tourist attraction in business, hence the billboards, as well as television and radio advertisements. In order to boost tourist levels more, the Dirty Sink Party was launched in 2003, and is held every 28th of May. The party includes stands selling food such as candy and fishdogs, as well as discounted and limited edition souvenirs. Since 2016, local farmers have been allowed to set up their own stands at the Dirty Sink Party, boosting its popularity. The Dirty Sink has also starred in several movies and television shows, most of them were obscure movies however it has also been featured in a few summer blockbusters. Many of the TV shows the Dirty Sink has featured in are 80s/90s nostalgia shows, however, some modern TV shows made for streaming services have also starred the Dirty Sink. This has made it somewhat popular with viewers of the shows, and has helped to advertise the Dirty Sink.

Locations
When one enters the precinct of the Dirty Sink, they will drive into the massive parking lot, it is mostly empty, except on holidays when more penguins are willing to stop at roadside attractions. Behind the parking lot stands the dais with the two sinks: the titular dirty sink, and a clean sink for comparison. A colourful red and yellow sign with "THE DIRTY SINK!" written on it stands behind the dais. Tourists can often be see photographing the sink, or posing for selfies next to or in front of it. To the left side of the dais is the gift shop. This is where merchandise such as miniature dirty sinks, dirty sink fridge magnets, and real sinks that a have been painted to look dirty are sold. The gift shop also must be passed though in order to exit. The gift shop is a large white box shaped building and is one floor high. It is mostly aisles, with the checkout at the back by the parking lot exit. It is the biggest building on the grounds, even bigger than the museum to the right of the dais. The museum contains photographs of the sink through the ages, samples of the grime and rust (in glass cases), and documents of the supposed things that have happened during the sink's history. The museum is one floor high and unlike the gift shop it is red and has a slightly slanting roof. Behind the dais and the sign is the office. This is where the managers work and the security guards report to. The office is two floors high, with the top floor being smaller than the ground floor, and is painted white with a grey flat roof. On the bottom floor there is a lounge and the security guards' offices. The manager's office is on the top floor.

Incidents
The Dirty Sink is a mostly safe tourist attraction, however that does not mean there have been no accidents or incidents there. A notable incident was in 1989, when one particularly stupid penguin tried tap dancing on the sink's taps, believing that's how tap dancing works. The result was that he fell into the grimy basin of the sink. He attempted to sue, but his claim failed as his injury was clearly volenti non fit injuria. In 1991, there were complaints that the dirt and grime of the sink may pose health risks. The Dirty Sink's management responded to this by putting up notices saying not to touch the sink, but some penguins were still unsatisfied. There were several cases between 1997 and 2001 in which some penguins would fall of the dais and hurt themselves. After a lawsuit over a particularly nasty falling incident in 2001, which the Dirty Sink lost, the management put up railings on the edge of the dais to prevent falling. In 2007, there was an attempt to steal the Dirty Sink and sell it on the Black Market. The heist involved a gang of eight penguins to sneak onto the premises at night and unscrew the sink from its plumbing fixtures. The heist was almost successful, however the removal of the sink mean that water spilled out of the plumbing, causing the area to start to flood. The gang realised that this would attract attention and they would be caught in the act causing them to put the sink back and abandon the heist. So far, no member of the gang has been identified.

Trivia

 * The current owner of the Dirty Sink is so paranoid that someone might clean the sink that they hired security guards to make sure that does not happen.
 * Many health inspectors have attempted to give orders to get the roadside attraction shut down. So far, all attempts have failed due to various loopholes.
 * Many penguins have tried looking for the farmhouse that the sink originates from. So far it has not been found.
 * There have been seven attempts to steal the sink. All have failed due to it being secured into the plumbing system when it became a roadside attraction.
 * The owner of the Dirty Sink is looking to establish similar roadside attractions in other parts of Eastshield.