Michael Jackson's boyhood home still draws the curious
GARY, Indiana (AP) — Michael Jackson fans and curious sightseers are still beating a path to his boyhood home more than three weeks after his death on June 25.
A memorial of stuffed animals, flowers and photos of Jackson provides a backdrop for fans who want to be filmed or photographed in front of the house where the King of Pop, his siblings and their parents lived until 1969.
"It's tiny, for a lot of kids," said Hector Valenzuela, 60, of Burnham, Illinois.
He was among a steady stream of about 50 onlookers at a time who gawked and shot photographs and videotape of the one-level structure, where the lawn has been trampled.
Jackson spent the first 11 years of his life in Gary before the Jackson 5 struck it big in 1969 and the family relocated to the West Coat. Jackson came back to Gary just once, in 2003.
Five vendor booths outside the home offer Jackson T-shirts, DVDs, CDs, posters, buttons and other memorabilia.
T-shirt vendor William Salaam said business remains steady.
"It's consistent," he said. "The people are coming from further away. Gary has gone global."
Posts outside the house are scribbled with written messages from followers of the music legend, and a banner taped to the side of the home says, "We miss you MJ."
———
Information from: Post-Tribune, http://www.post-trib.com