ARCO (Marathon Petroleum)

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. It was just another humdrum morning at the Marathon station in downtown Anytown. A regular pulled up on his bike, unlocked the pump, and started filling his tank when something odd caught his eye. The nozzle seemed to wiggle slightly as if it were breathing. The cyclist tilted his head curiously, then reached out to touch the nozzle—only for it to give a little cough and spit out a stream of bubbles. Startled, he looked around, but everyone else seemed oblivious. With a shrug, he decided not to mention it and rode off with a smile, muttering something about strange gas stations.

2. At ARCO gas station on Route 66, a sign mysteriously appeared one night: ‘Fill up your tank and win a free tank of gas tomorrow!’ Everyone laughed it off until… …until an old man from next door drove in with his car almost empty. He filled up, came back the next day, and sure enough—his tank was full again! Word spread quickly, and soon everyone was visiting ARCO for their fill-ups. Turns out, the owner had installed a secret pump that refilled tanks overnight. It became a local joke: 'Wanna get rich quick? Just drive by ARCO!' But nobody minded—they got free gas, and life was good.

3. At the Marathon station in Smallville, someone kept finding strange items in their car trunk after filling up. One day, a delivery driver discovered an old vinyl record of 'American Pie' stuck between the seats. Soon enough, customers started joking that ARCO must be secretly stocking time capsules with retro records. A regular even claimed he found a vintage copy of ‘Back in the USSR’ once. Finally, one evening, a delivery driver left his truck’s windows open—and woke up to find himself surrounded by old LP covers scattered across the parking lot. The final straw came when a neighbor reported discovering a cassette tape of ‘99 Luftballons.’ It turned out to be just another quirky urban legend, but everyone had a good laugh about it.

4. At dawn, a delivery driver pulled up to the Marathon station and noticed something odd: every morning, the pumps played a faint tune before dispensing gas. Curious, he asked the attendant, who shrugged and said it was an old trick to attract customers. Later that week, during breakfast with his neighbors, they all agreed it sounded like ‘Happy Birthday’—and now everyone hums along as they fill their tanks. The friendly Marathon station became known for its morning serenade.