Guest post by Jamie Rhein
My recommendation for any road trip is to swing by some item that’s very large. Large items make for fun photo ops. One of our favorite largest item detour is the Enchanted Highway outside of Bismark, North Dakota. There is where you will find a series of fabulous scrap metal sculptures considered the largest scrape metal sculptures in the world. My favorite piece in the world’s largest things collection is Fisherman’s Dream.
Two summers ago, we saw the largest pecan in Seguin, Texas.
My daughter, following in the family fascination of very large things, recently posted a photo of my grandson standing with a friend of his in an enormous chair. These two-year-old buddies looked like Lilliputians who would have to scatter if Gulliver showed up.
Ohio has several of the largest ever items that are worth swinging by. Here are a few to add to the world’s largest things list. One of them is in Matt Harding’s video The video is a marvelous testament to the power of dancing to connect people around the world.
The Largest Gavel
First stop Columbus. Head by 65. S. Front Street where you can’t miss the 7,000 pound gavel. “The Gavel” sits in a reflecting pond next to the Ohio Supreme Court building. The 1931 art deco building is a fitting location for artist Andrew F. Scott’s sculpture that is reminder that justice ought to prevail. I snapped photos in the evening.
The Largest Basket
Next stop: In Dresden in a small park is the world’s largest basket. The basket, made from 10 hardwood maple trees, is 48 ft. long, 11 ft. wide and 23 ft. wide. It’s a replica of Longaberger’s Market Basket but it is a lot bigger. If it was a house, you could live in it. Unfortunately, the Longaberger Basket Co. closed shop in 2018.
The Largest Cuckoo Clock
Amish Country Stop: In Sugarcreek, you can’t miss the largest cuckoo clock in the world. Every half hour, a cuckoo bird caws the time and a five-piece polka band begins to play while a couple dances. The 24-feet tall clock is fun to watch and certainly a contender for the world’s largest things collection.
The Largest Drumsticks
Warren, in northeastern Ohio, is the birthplace of Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl. Grohl, who has an alley named after him in Warren has not forgotten his Ohio roots. Dave Grohl Alley, a block from the town square, is where you’ll find Grohl and Foo Fighters themed artwork, as well as, the largest drumsticks in the world. The drumsticks are carved out of two poplar logs and are 23 ft. long each.
The Largest Rubber Stamp
Cleveland, Ohio is home to the world’s largest rubber stamp. The stamp, one of the world’s largest things, with “FREE” in block letters sits on its side in Willard Park a short distance from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Lake Erie. Artist Claes Oldenburg created the 28-ft. tall, 48-ft. long stamp in 1985. The word “free” is a nod to the Civil War and freeing of slaves.
If you watch Matt Harding’s 2012 version of “Where the Hell is Matt?” you’ll see the stamp as one of the settings. Watch the video, really. It’s a world traveler’s love fest. Truly.
Photos and post courtesy of Jamie Rhein