During our last visit in October we drove right past this yardstick a couple of times. I don’t know how we missed it. Probably since we were looking for the World’s Largest Windchime. Funny how you can miss a Big Thing. By the way, since we visited in September, the Guinness Book sent a representative to Casey to verify their claims to World’s Largest wind chime, rocking chair, pitchfork and maybe some other things.
Casey Yardstick
Here’s the Big Mailbox that we captured on our visit in September. At the time it was still at the metal fabricator. Now it mounted on a post in downtown Casey. The area around the mailbox still needs some landscaping but I’m sure this will happen. I really like this town and their mission. They even have a website www.BigThingsSmallTowns.com for you to visit.
Casey Mailbox Update
Another Bird Dog offering. Here’s Greg, my B-I-L, posing with a Big Golf Ball in Scottsdale. Ironically, I received this image while I was at River Glen on the 14th hole. A short par 3, 154 yards. A 6 iron to the green and 2 putts for a par. A good hole in many ways.
Golf Ball Bird Dog Greg
Lying Down Man
While we were in Grand Rapids to see our niece Erica we followed up with time to get some Big Things. This Big Trowel was a nice surprise. It was in the Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park. What a great place. This trowel was, like all the sculpture installations, located outside and, in this case, a field of tall grass. This Big Garden Trowel was created by Claes Oldenburg and his wife Coosje van Bruggen. The Meijer web site states, “Plantoir is the first monumental sculpture created specifically for a garden context. It was sited specifically by the artists.” I liked it a lot.
Claes Oldenburg Trowel
While we were in Grand Rapids visiting with our niece Erica, we stopped at the Meijer’s Gardens and Sculpture Park. A great place. We knew about this Big Horse. Here is what they say about this piece. “A monument to creativity, The American Horse was created by famed animaliere or animal sculptor, Nina Akamu. The work was inspired, in part, by a work created by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci for the Duke of Milan in the late 15th century.”
Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park Horse
The reason for our visit to McClure’s Apple Haus outside Grand Rapids, Michigan was to get this Big Apple previously sighted by my Bird Dog Erica. What a great place to visit, very family friendly. Pick apples, a corn maze, a bounce place, fresh donuts and cider. This would be my go-to place in the fall if I lived in the Grand Rapids area.
McClure’s Apple Haus Apple
We planned to visit McClure’s Apple Haus and get an image of their Big Apple reported by my Bird Dog Erica. We spotted this Big Chair with a Michigan mitten forming the back. After getting this image and the apple we went inside to get some fresh cider and newly baked cinnamon donuts. Only in Fall!
McClure’s Apple Haus Chair
After breakfast with our niece Erica we headed into Grand Rapids to grab some Big Things images and have lunch at Founders Brewery. The first item on our agenda was this Big Loch Ness monster at the John Ball Zoological Garden on West Fulton Street.
Grand Rapids Nessie
On our way to Saugatuck for our Fall Break trip, physician we stopped by the Sherman Dairy Bar in South Haven to grab this image of Blue Moo and Baby Moo located on top of the business. We had a big breakfast in Kokomo a couple hours earlier or I might have dropped in for a strawberry cone.
Blue Moo and Baby Blue
Bangor HS Viking
Gosh, there are so many of these Big Chickens scattered around the country I don’t know why there is not a web site dedicated to them. There’s several sites for Muffler Men, none for chickens. Maybe someone will create a Big Chicken Site.
Rise-N-Shine Cafe Chicken
Kokomo Judge
I got this tip from Dan Mitchell who knows the Indianapolis area as well as anyone I know. It’s on East 65th street just west of Binford Blvd. in front of the Collegiate Housing Services office. I don’t know if the pencil was formed from a unused telephone pole or how it came to be there.
Dan’s Big Pencil
I think that Nate finds more Big Things than any of my other Bird Dogs. I may be partial since Nate is my Grandson. In this case he, along with his parents found this Big Chair in Watkin’s Glen, NY while taking a long weekend.
Nate’s Big Chair Find
Got a heads up from Erica about this Big Apple at Robinette’s Apple Haus on the northeast side of Grand Rapids. Sounds like a great place, they press their own cider in season and have the donuts to go with them.
Robinette’s Big Apple
On the way home from St. Louis the Chief Photographer spotted some small signs on the roadside promoting the “World Largest Chimes.” Well, there was no way to pass this up. We exited at Casey, IL to see the Wind Chimes and to see additional signs for the “World Largest Golf Tee.” Another find. We found the wind chimes, the first of many Big Things in this town.
Caesy IL Wind Chime
Right across from the “World’s Largest Chimes,” we found this Rocking Chair. Now in the past I’ve seen some Big Chairs, this one may be the very largest.
Casey IL Chair
This Big Golf Tee at the Casey Country Club is another find in Casey, Illinois. I don’t know when I ran into this many Big Things in a single town. With a population of 2,716 and 8 Big Things, this is probably the most Big Thing concentrated place in the United States.
Casey Country Club Golf Tee
There seems to be no end to Big Things in Casey, case Illinois. I wonder what it is like to live in this town. People stopping in all day long to see all the Big Things. Someone has a vision to attract visitors.
Casey IL Pitchfork