HONEY OF A BUNNY: Landmark rabbit still enchants By GREG BISCHOF/Of the Gazette Staff Ione Wommack closed the doors to her pawn shop for the last time this spring, but she's not about to let the rabbit get out of the hat-or at least not out of the driveway. For more than half a century, her family's giant, roadside rabbit has attracted tourists traveling through Texarkana on West Seventh Street near the city's western limits. "Right now, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rabbit," Wommack said, staring gloomily out at the oversized Texas bunny in front of her now defunct Big Daddy Pawn Shop. "He's been like part of the family for at least 55 years." The king-sized Texas jackrabbit, topped with a horse saddle, still serves as a landmark, reference point and family photo opportunity as it has since 1945, she said. Wommack's father, L.E. Agan, bought the plaster and lambs' wool bunny for a whopping $3 at a local auction in about 1943, according to family records. Shortly after buying the high-rise hare, which stands at least 6 feet tall at its extended ear tips, Agan built and operated Stop-Agan filling station in 1945, where he placed his keepsake for passers-by to see and enjoy. There the rabbit stood even after Wommack and her late husband, Weldon Wommack, bought her father's property in 1968 and built Big Daddy's in place of the former filling station. There the couple operated the shop until April. But even with the change of scenery and proprietorship, the rabbit stood and managed to survive two cars crashes-one chipping off one of his front legs, the other chipping off his tail. Apart from the two auto accidents, the concrete hare has never been out of public sight, except on occasion during the early days when he was mounted on skid wheels and rolled under shelter to avoid inclement weather. Through the years local police dispatchers used the rabbit as a reference point to help officers find houses and streets in the area. To this day, Wommack, 78, still enjoys seeing youngsters pile on the bunny for family photo shoots. "I wish I had a nickel for every time someone took a picture of the rabbit because now I would be a millionaire," Wommack said. "Just this past weekend I had about 15 people come out here and take pictures of it." Wommack said she eventually plans to sell the property, but she can't decide on the bunny's fate. "Until I can do something with the property, the rabbit will be out there for a while," she said. "It might be the most photographed rabbit in Texas.' Although she as had several potential buyers make offers, Wommack said she can't imagine selling the rabbit. "Selling the rabbit would be like selling a member of the family and you don't sell your family," she said. "I guarantee people will miss the rabbit if I ever move it and I'll hate moving it. Dad had an eye for unusual things and this was just about the best unusual thing he ever bought."