Odyssey (fictional town)

Odyssey is the fictional setting for the Christian-themed radio program "Adventures in Odyssey". Though its exact size is never specified, it can be inferred from numerous "Adventures in Odyssey" episodes that Odyssey has a population between 40,000 and 55,000 (it was published as 34,770 circa 1990). Though its location is never specified on the AIO show, the first episode of "Family Portraits" implies that it is located in Ohio. It is located in Campbell County, a fictionalized county bearing no known connection to any of the five counties bearing that name in the United States. The current mayor is Margret Faye and the demonym is Odysseyan.

History

The first full account of the history of Odyssey was presented in episode 92, "The Ill-Gotten Deed", which concerns a book of the same name written by John Avery Whittaker. According to Whittaker's "The Ill-Gotten Deed", much of the land Odyssey occupies was originally owned by the father of twin brothers Horace and Grover McCalister, who left it to his sons in his will in the early 1800s.

The land was located in the Weyakatal-ah-Neetee Valley, which, when translated from a fictional Native American language, means "Valley of the land that stinks like a swamp." In reality, the valley was not a swamp, but simply suffered from poor drainage during the rainy season. Horace McCalister eventually occupied the land he inherited from his father, and he and later settlers dug irrigation and drainage ditches to remove the dampness problem.

As more settlers came and the town grew, an attempt was made to alter the Native American name to make it sound more pleasant. Frustrated by their failure to do so, Horace McCalister lamented "It's in a beautiful valley, a place everyone oughta see." Thus, the "Ought-to-see town" was born, a name that was eventually rendered "Odyssey".

Discrepancy

Though the town has been referenced as being in the midwest and confirmed to be in Ohio by the original "Family Portraits" series, the radio station operating within Whit's End is given the call letters "KYDS". In actuality, call letters prefixed with the letter K are reserved for stations based on the west side of the Mississippi River (with some notable exceptions, such as KDKA).

Locations in Odyssey

The majority of "Adventures in Odyssey" episodes take place in the town of Odyssey, most commonly at the popular ice cream shop "Whit's End". The following places and organizations also form important settings for the episodes.

Places

* Whit's End
* Blackgaard's Castle (permanently destroyed by fire in episode #84, "The Battle, Part 2")
* The Electric Palace (built on the land formerly occupied by Blackgaard's Castle)
* King's Appliance Cave
* Big Ed's Appliance City
* Finneman's Market, a grocery owned by Connie Kendall's great uncle, Joe Finneman
* Campbell College, formerly Campbell County College, formerly Campbell County Community College, employer of Eugene Meltsner
* J & J Antiques, managed by Jack Allen and his wife, Joanne
* The Timothy Center, at Tom Riley's farm
* Camp What-a-nut, a youth camp in the countryside near Odyssey
* Pete's Gas and Chow
* Burger World
* Hillingdale Haven
* Hal's Diner
* The Harlequin Dinner Theatre
* Holstein's Book Store
* Greenblatt's Department Store
* Osborne Department Store
* Fraley's Laundromat
* Big Bargain Bill's Used Car Barn [Actually located in San Diego]
* Connellsville Zoo [closed in the mid-1990's]
* Speedy Package Express - "We're Lightning Fast!"
* Le Hotel Odyssey
* Walton's Janetorial Service
* Vogel Cuts
* Odyssey's Old West Fun World
* Chez Moi - Fine French Dining
* Nova Com Broadcasting
* Surveillance City
* Odyssey Elementary School
* Odyssey High School
* Odyssey Middle School
* Odyssey Academy
* VA Hospital
* Train Station
* Bus Station
* Jack and Joann Allen's House is 815 Harper St (from: call me if You care)
* War Memeroial
* Airport it has 2 Concourses
* Shimholtz bulding which is home to KODY radio

Neighborhoods

* Forest Creek
* McCalister Park
* Chadwick Hill
* Sycamore
* Yorktown
* Potter's Park

Organizations in Odyssey

In addition to the places of Odyssey, a number of organizations influence goings-on in the town.

* The Andromeda family of companies, especially Novacom
* FBI
* NSA
* City Council
* "The Odyssey Times"
* "The Odyssey Owl"
* "The Odyssey Voice"
* "The Odyssey Tattler" (a market tabloid)
* Universal Press Foundation & UPF Missions Board
* The Bones of Rath
* The Israelites
* Whit's End Connelsville

Locations near Odyssey

* Connelsville (and Oswald Heights) which is 30 minutes from Odyssey on its closest side
* Odenton
* Waynestown
* Trickle Lake, which is 2 miles north of Odyssey

ee also

*List of Adventures in Odyssey characters
*List of Adventures in Odyssey episodes

ources

* Phil Lollar, "The Ill-Gotten Deed", "Adventures in Odyssey", 1989 4 November
* [http://www.whitsend.org/library/historydet.cfm?article=414 "How "Odyssey" Got its Name"]