Lucas Mural in "The Edge" - pps 1, 4-5.

Previous Newsletter, now online...

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Now Online: Flickr Set for Conan

In working towards the upcoming Conan appearance, I've been working on a Flickr set of World's Largest Things images with their accompanying World's Smallest Versions... Here's the set, full of stories and anecdotes, of the short-listed items that may accompany me in December:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldslargestthings/sets/72157625441342904/

 

It's one of the few times I've photographed some of the WSVs, and I'm happy with 'em so far...

 

Enjoy!

-Erika Nelson, Director

From the Email Inbox: World's Largest Menorah, NYC.

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2010 /NEWS.GNOM.ES/ — The World's Largest Chanukah Menorah will be proudly standing at New York's most fashionable plaza, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, by Central Park, between the Plaza and the Pierre Hotels. The first candle will be lighted on Wednesday evening December 1, and the full Menorah will be lighted on Wednesday evening December 8. All weekday lightings are at 5:30 PM. Over the years the World's Largest Menorah was lighted by New York City Mayors, Abraham Beame, Ed Koch, David Dinkins, Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, Governors Mario Cuomo, George Pataki and David Paterson, United States Senators Jacob Javits and Charles Schumer, as well as many other dignitaries.

"The Menorah stands as a symbol of freedom and democracy, strength and inspiration, delivering a timely and poignant message to each person on an individual basis," said Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman, Director Lubavitch Youth Organization.

The Menorah was certified by Guinness World Records as the World's Largest. It was specially designed by world renowned artist Yaacov Agam who lighted the Menorah many times. It was inspired by a hand drawing by the Rambam (Maimonides) of the original Menorah in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem.

REBBE PERSONALLY APPROVED MENORAH

The Menorah stood in miniature on the desk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe who personally approved its form. The Rebbe wanted this Menorah to be the world's largest and when there was talk about making a large Menorah in another city the Rebbe asked for that city's Menorah to be smaller.

The 32-foot high, gold colored, 4,000 pound steel structure will be lighted nightly with genuine oil lamps. Specially designed glass chimneys will protect the Chanukah lights from the Central Park winds.

Due to the height of the Menorah, it will be lit nightly with the help of a Con Edison "cherry-picker" crane as well as two lifts that lift the lighters to the "Menorah Heights."

In Defense of the World's Smallest Corn Maze

During a summer of challenging discussions of Big and Small-ness, many tenets of the World's Smallest Versions of World's Largest Things were challenged. One of the early projects, the World's Smallest Corn Maze, was summarily dismissed as invalid as it didn't use miniature corn. Here, dear WLT Fans and members, is the rebuttal:

OK, so long drives are great for think-time, and it hit me somewhere in the back alleys of Junction City that I am right, *name deleted for protection of the guilty* is wrong. The World's Smallest Corn Maze was totally completely awesome, and the perfect example of the genre.

Criticism of the size of the corn itself is an invalid argument - in the metrics inherent in the Corn Maze genre, the size of the maze (and the extrapolated superlatives) are based on square footage covered, or total path length, NOT the size of the element used in the structure. If I were making a World's Smallest Version of the World's Largest Corn Maze, then YES, I would need to use miniature corn. In making the World's Smallest Corn Maze, the elements necessary in making a corn maze are all addressed -

1. Choice of path (otherwise, it's a labyrinth)

2. Corn (single row, in elevated beds to further emphasize path)

3. Obscured goal (turns) ('cause a straight-line row of corn is just a row of corn, not a maze)

The unit of measure used in the established Corn Maze world is miles (and segments of miles) of path - the World's Largest Corn Maze title is awarded to the longest path maze, not a maze made of super-sized corn (although that, too, would be AWESOME). The World's Smallest Corn Maze, measuring in at .022727 (independently verified by two sources), meets all of the above criteria while being a concise and effective example of this seasonal agrarian form of family amusement.

World's Smallest Corn Maze, Autumn 2003, World's Largest Things Home Base, Lucas Kansas = Awesome.

Keep the challenges coming - I need to get my brain up to speed for the BIG BIG BIG Event, coming in December...

-Erika Nelson, Director, World's Largest Things Inc.

home of the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things Sideshow Extravaganza, and NEW EXHIBIT of the World's Smallest Collection of the World's Largest Versions of the World's Smallest Things

WLCoWSVoWLT makes "Reasons We Love Kansas" list!

Kansas! Magazine turns 65 this year, and in their special expanded Anniversary Issue (Winter 2010, Volume 66 Issue 4), we made the Reasons We Love Kansas list: 

 

"IT'S HUGE.  See everything that's the world's smallest version of the world's largest things at Lucas' World's Largest Things Inc.  It's a forum to research and discuss the attraction of "Roadside Vernacular Architecture." worldslargestthings.com" We're entry number 55, on p. 14. 

 

Yay, WLTs and Lucas Kansas!  It's an impressive list, with the likes of Gordon Parks, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, "Grandma" Layton, just to name a few... we're honored to be a part of the Kansas patchwork.  Thanks, Kansas Magazine!

In today's mail: World's Smallest Letter

Received today, the World's Smallest Letter!!!

... sent from a World's Largest Things member, Ranjit. Thank you! It was hard to make myself open the package, but curiosity got the best of me. Here's the initial package, sealed for my protection:

Inside that package, a 10x folding magnifier, and another package:



Inside that 'nother package, a tiny envelope, also sealed for my protection, containing a tiny congratulatory note from a friend. To show tininess of said note, it's pictured here with a quarter*:


*Quarter is actually a miniature replica quarter. Shown here with actual quarter:


Thanks again, Ranjit! This will become a part of the WLCoWSVoWLT Tiny Correspondence archive - I believe that scale-wise, it's the wee-est yet, beating out the University of Chicago's Scav Hunt submission from 2008.

THIS JUST IN - World's Largest Bar of Soap, Tonganoxie KS

Info sent in by Vintage Soap and Bath:

 

It is made out of chicken wire and paper mache.  We made it for a parade here last August."

 

Thanks!

Lana Howe, Vintage Soap & Bath, Tonganoxie,Ks

From the Email Inbox - World's Largest Spur Abilene KS

Aerial shot taken by a Kansas Explorer... in a plane. 

It's that time again! We're doing another hand-drawn book project, through these guys:

WLT Online profiles

One of the difficult parts of living in the tech world is keeping track of web identities, especially when you have the added aggravation of being both an independent artist and educator AND the face of World's Largest Things. Here's a start of the list:

World's Largest Things, Inc. on Google Maps

Erika on Google People

World's Largest Things, Inc. on Blogger

World's Largest Things on Facebook

World's Largest Things on Issuu

WLCoWSVoWLT Hand-Drawn Book on art house co-op

Erika/WLT on art house co-op

Erika/WLT on Flickr

World's Largest Things on Posterous
(where we do our Thing-A-Day stories)

Erika/WLT on Posterous

Erika on culturehall

As you can see, some sites are more, um, complete than others, but this gives some idea of the breadth of the World's Largest Things web... All in addition to the old favorite home site:

World's Largest Things Incorporated Home Site

BIG NEWS - WLCoWSVoWLT on Conan!

Big News from the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things!  For the past month, we've been talking to a producer for the new Conan show, working up images and videos to pitch an appearance. 

 

After arriving home from a team presentation to an Arts Alliance in Kansas City, I found a message saying "Yes!  Conan loved it!"  So, the WLCoWSVoWLT will be traveling out to LA in December to be a part of the show...

 

Whoop whoop whoop whoopity whoop!  It was exciting even before the "Yes!", as the producer said the collection was a big hit at the office (blush), but now, we're cookin' with heat.  I'll keep you posted on actual film date (you could be part of the studio audience!!!) and air date as soon as we iron out details. 

 

Until then, keep on Living Large!  And small...  Couldn't do it without the support of all of you, Family, Friends, and WLT Members.  Thanks for believing in the stories behind Roadside Vernacular Architecture!!!

 

-Erika Nelson, Director

World's Largest Things, Inc.

 

(photo from the Team Coco website, of fan Allison Hoffman's awesome Yarn Blimp. Glad to see they appreciate the handmade and the quirky!)

World's Largest Teapot

Ok, this one takes the cake.  Or biscuit.  Or whatever you'd like to have with your tea... Originally posted on Free Entertainment Blog

 

China's Meitan County is known as the "hometown of Chinese green tea", and the reputation of Meitan green tea has surpassed national borders, so there was really no better place to build a museum of tea culture. As fascinating as visiting this place may be to tea lovers, we're more interested in its unique architecture. Shaped like a giant clay teapot, and accompanied by a smaller building shaped like a tea cup, the Meitan tea museum is one of the weirdest looking museums in the world. Seen from a distance, it looks like just a strange teapot sculpture, but as you approach it, the windows give away its true purpose. With a maximum diameter of 24 meters, and a capacity of 28,360.23 cubic meters, the Meitan tea museum is by far the world's largest teapot.

Google Places Updated! Now with Video...

With chills in the air putting a stop to outside work, we at WLT Inc. are back to webbin.  Todays Project:  Updating our Google Places profile, which links to Google Maps and other small business sites... take a look!  Now with photos and video (even one in Mandarin!)

 

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&georestrict=input_srcid:b8a4dca434b9e38b&mid=1288808577

New York Roadside Attractions

Ran across this list for the state of New York - they've got Quirky!

 

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/get_to_know_and_see_central_ne.html

 

List of what you'll read about:

 

1. Mastodon, DeRuyter Lake

2. World's Largest Pancake Griddle, Penn Yan

3. World's Smallest Church, Oneida

4. Pyramid Monument, Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse

5. Veronica's Sculpture Garden, Indian River

6. Giant Pack of Pep-O-Mint Life Savers, Gouverneur

7. Spirit House, Georgetown

8. Lighthouse Post Office, Eaton

9. Giant Crows, Fisher's Landing

10. Plainville Farms' Bronco Tom Turkey, Cicero

 

American Road Podcast with the Big Little Big girl...

American Road magazine just started a new series on their website, with podcasts from roadside enthusiasts. I was happy to find out the WLCoWSVoWLT is the first in the series, available now on their blog:

American Road Trip Talk

Poland to build world's largest Jesus Christ statue

A small Polish town has sought to place itself on the global tourist map by building the world's largest statue of Jesus, eclipsing Rio's famous Christ the Redeemer.

Swiebodzin, a Polish town of 21,000 near the German border, will soon be home to a 33-metre effigy of Christ, which, along with a crown that adds a further two metres and its 16-metre mound will put all other statues dedicated to the son of God in its shade.

Due for completion in November, the monument should pip the world's current record holder, Bolivia's Cristo de la Concodia statue, by some nine metres, and look down on the world famous statue in Rio de Janeiro, which stands just 30 metres tall minus its plinth.

Although erected ostensibly to show gratitude to God, the town hopes having the massive statue will bring tourists into a community that has lain off the beaten track for most of its existence.

"If we had opened a racetrack or a golf course here, tourists would have come only for the season. But with a statue of Jesus the season will last the whole year," a local official told Wprost, a weekly news magazine.

With construction nearing the end, engineers face the hazardous task of lifting the figure's massive head and shoulders into place, which, officials say, might require the use of a helicopter.

- Matthew Day in Warsaw

Big Things: Souvenir Plate - Bing Travel

This morning on Bing Travel and the MSN Home Page - an article about Big Things, with the World's Largest Souvenir Travel Plate in the lineup!

 

Check out this page on Bing Travel:

http://www.bing.com/travel/content/search?q=Big+Things%3a+Souvenir+Plate&FORM=RQTRAV

Chrysler's World's Largest Banner, sorta'

Mural Dedication, Sept 19, 2010

 

 

Community Mural Dedicated, Newton Kansan, September 20 2010


NEWTON —

By Christine Wyrick
Newton Kansan
Newton’s new community mural, “The Imagineers,” was dedicated Sunday afternoon in a ceremony that featured dancing, music, speeches — and a lot of sunshine on a 93-degree day.
About 100 people attended the event, which unveiled the mural, a project sponsored by the Mid-America Arts Alliance based in Kansas City, Mo., and the National Endowment for the Arts, on the north side of Combs Organ Co. on Main Street.
Twelve cities competed to host the project, which was fully funded by those two organizations.
Barb Burns, the city’s community advancement coordinator, who along with Rachel Epp Buller from Bethel College served as co-chairwomen for the 2010 Kansas Mural Project, said Newton is the only community in Kansas to host such a painting.
Among those in attendance was a contingency from Joplin, Mo., which is considering applying for the community mural grant in the future.
Community members were involved in the project from the beginning, giving their ideas for what should be included in the mural and actually helping paint the mural.
“... I hope this strengthens the way we come together to work on projects and come to a common good,” Burns said.
Dave Loewenstein, a nationally recognized mural artist, was brought in to guide the project. He had two other professional Kansas artists assist him — Erika Nelson of Lucas and Matthew Farley, a Wichita native.
“This art is for everyone,” Loewenstein said. “It is not to be bought or sold.”
Loewenstein encouraged the community to work on other projects together.
“We hand the baton over to you,” he said. “Go out and make more murals, more sculpture, more parks, increase the size of your farmer’s market,” he said. “Whatever it is, you’ve proven you can do this.”
Nelson said the artists hope community members will come and study the mural to see what images they take from the mural. Some of the images are clear — others are not, she said.
Among the clearly seen images are people of differing ages, a quilt, technology, the clouds on the water tower, a drink, railroad references, birds, trees and a cultivated field.
“Some you’ll have to investigate your own community to (figure) out,” she said.
“Approaching the mural, one sees a group of people around a table engaged in the process of building, playing, restoring and imagining,” the program at the dedication stated. “These figures are symbolic of the Newton/North Newton community. They re not particular people, but a composite of the many and varied citizens in our area ...”
Nelson it was interesting to see people watch the mural come together the last two months.
She said a couple of people stopped by twice a day — once in the morning and once in the evening — to see the latest updates. Another couple came each night to point out areas with a laser pointer.
“Investigate what the mural might mean,” Nelson said. “There are hidden gems in there. You have community stories reflected back at you in unexpected ways.”
One of the highlights of the dedication was a performance by a group of dancers organized and choreographed by Sara Dick especially for the mural project.
The dance, with live music to accompany it, included the dancers — a group that included children through seniors — interpreting their favorite places in Newton and North Newton, such as parks and schools.
They also jokingly teased their least-favorite place in Newton was sitting in a car waiting for a train to pass. Ironically — or perhaps fittingly — a train passed by with whistles blowing just after that.
The dance group included Danika Bielek, choreographer; Helen Bertrand; Emily Blaine; Emma Kliewer; Paige Kliewer; Luella Lohrentz; Olivia Lyles; Marlene Smucker; and Stan Smucker.
The musicians were Jesse Graber, Eric Schrag and Matthew Dudte.
Perry White, president of Bethel College, said public art being used as a way to tell stories has been around for thousands of years.
He said the group is considering options for lighting the mural at night and landscaping around the mural.
“We hope this spurs other community projects,” he said.
Epp Buller thanked the design team for their efforts. The design efforts started about two months ago, with much of the design work done at the Carriage Factory Gallery with the help of director Joe Loganbill.
A red ribbon was cut by Ellie Bradley, a student at Santa Fe Fifth/Sixth Center, who was a member of the design team with her mother.
Other members of the design team were Ray Olias, Jesse Graber, Diane Epp, Los Fernandez, Amy Yountz, Bob Regier, Erin McDaniel, James Janzen, LaDonna Voth, Susan Jantzen, Phil Epp, Pat Washburn, Beth Burns, Ellie Burns, Joe Regier, Pat Hines, Mike Combs, Jim Wimmer, Mikala Gingerich-Gaylord and Loganbill.
Joe Regier Construction donated hydraulic lifts and other equipment for the artists to use during painting. Michael Combs donated the space on his building for the project.
Mural project partners were Vada Snider, Greg Elder Construction, Reba’s, Conrad Snider, Chuck and Cindy Regier, Bethel College and the city of Newton.
“This has been the highlight of the last year,” Loganbill said. “We wanted to do something good for the community. It’s a really good piece of art.”

From the Newton Kansan

 

COMMUNITY MURAL NEARS COMPLETION - Newton, KS - The Newton Kansan

How do you make the World's Largest Omlette in the World's Largest Frying Pan?

Easy - strap bacon to the feet of a model, have her skate around the pan, and fry 'er up!  Here's a great pic of the amazing event, as read about originally on the World's Largest Egg page:

 

http://www.worldslargestthings.com/washington/egg.htm

10' French Fries from Turco, Buffalo NY

They scoff at your measly 3' French Fry...  Here's the whole story:

 

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article78666.ece

Carhenge in Pictures

There are some spectacular images here, including this fisheye comparison of Carhenge and Stonehenge.  Enjoy!

 

http://www.michaeljohngrist.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/2010-6june-carhenge/carhenge-car-henge-10.jpg

First Ebay Listing of WLCoWSVoWLT card!

This just in! Our Topps Allen and Ginter Card, first listing on Ebay. Found in the wild, and currently up for bid. They're going for anywhere from 10 - 30 dollars at the moment, depending on scarcity.

http://cgi.ebay.com/2010-Allen-Ginter-Worlds-Biggest-WORLDS-LARGEST-/170513292488?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Baseball&hash=item27b3625cc8

And, here's another auction for a WLCoWSVoWLT card: http://cgi.ebay.com/WORLDS-BIGGEST-Worlds-Largest-2010-Allen-Ginter-WB20-/250668318910?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Baseball&hash=item3a5cff00be

First spotting of WLCoWSVoWLT Allen & Ginter card!

That's right, now that the 2010 Allen and Ginter series from TOPPS is available in retail stores (Target, Mart that Shall Remain Nameless, and K-Mart), the World's Biggest set is starting to emerge. The first of our own cards (see top row, right) just sold on EBay for twenty bucks... Yes, for just one little tiny card. Our card.

Did I mention that I'd be making a World's Largest Version of this World's Smallest Card of World's Biggest Topps A&G Set featuring the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things? Yes, the meta keeps on going, and I feel some sort of universal inversion now that I'm making a WL Version instead of a WS Version... AAAAH! WHERE will it END!!!

Review of the WLCoWSVoWLT Sideshow Extravaganza from last week's Catsup Fest in Collinsville!!

Read about it here at the Craves, Caves, and Graves blog

Join Us at the Catsup Festival!

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY in Collinsville Illinois!  Look for the people having fun, mid-sized replicas of the World's Largest Catsup Bottle, and the WLCoWSVoWLT SIDESHOW EXTRAVAGANZA with the World's Smallest Version of same said Catsup Bottle.  This year's fest is at the Collinsville American Legion, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

 

World's Largest Skateboard Folly

AND, got a shoutout on the related post from Bean at KROQ-LA - did a radio interview w/ Kevin and Bean in the Morning back in Aught 5 or so...

Our 2010 Allen & Ginter Card! WLCoWSVoWLT front