The little nest Casey in the US state of Illinois holds several world records, which are officially in the Guinness Book of Records. It’s all thanks to a local who wanted to do something to raise awareness of his hometown. And with the slogan “Big things, small town”, the place has now become a small tourist attraction.
Hand on heart: Are you someone who could be persuaded to travel with the prospect of a superlative? If the answer is yes, we are happy to present you with a true dream destination. Namely the small town of Casey in the US state of Illinois. Because there are not even 3000 inhabitants here, but there are a lot of bizarre and endearing records to marvel at. In concrete terms, this means the world’s largest collection of the world’s largest objects.
For example, Casey has the largest wind chime on the planet. With him, already in 2011, the hunt for local records began, as on the official site of the city can be read. A good 16 meters high, the longest of its sound bodies measures 12 meters. But it doesn’t just stand around, every visitor can make it sing and ring with a rope. Would you like more world records? How about, for example, the largest golf tee, a good nine meters high and weighing over 3000 kilograms?
Send letters from the world’s largest mailbox
Then there’s the world’s largest post box, for which a lot of effort was put into the site. Because in order to be considered as such, one must officially be able to send mail from there. And so today every visitor can reach the inside of the mailbox via a ladder, where they can send their very personal holiday greetings from Casey. In addition, according to the website, you have a great view over the entire city from the top. Another highlight is the largest rocking chair ever, a full 17 meters tall and weighing well over 20,000 kilograms (see large photo above).
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The list of world records certified according to the Guinness Book could go on for quite a long time, according to the city there are currently twelve in total. And as bizarre as it sounds, it now seems to have caused competition from other places. The knitting needles in Casey, for example, with a length of almost four meters are only the largest in the world in the past – who currently holds the superlative is not known. But how did it come about that the small town came up with the lovable, odd idea with the mega objects, and today even officially advertises it under the slogan “Big things, small town”?
Brainstorm of a local
This is thanks to the Illinois Official Tourism Site to local philanthropist Jim Bolin. While on vacation with his family, he had the idea of opening a tea shop in his beloved hometown. He did that later, but in 2011 he first had the world’s largest wind chime built in Casey. A businessman himself, he quickly teamed up with other entrepreneurs to set more records. For example, the giant knitting needles stand in front of a shop selling yarn and sewing supplies. A massive one-ton pitchfork is found on a local farm.
Bolin’s desire, according to his own statement, was “to help Casey marvel at herself again.” The city’s website does not want to say how much money was spent on this marketing. However, it reveals that most of the oversized objects were manufactured in an environmentally friendly way from recycled materials, such as discarded pipes or telephone poles. Bolin hoarded some scrap for 20 years before it was given a new purpose.
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In a country where at least a little megalomania is often considered good manners, the collection, which is unique in the world, has made Casey a small tourist magnet. And since the attractions are spread all over the city, almost all of the locals benefit from Bolin’s idea in one way or another. The clever businessman said to the Guinness-Buch when recognizing some of his objects: “These world records have changed our city enormously”. Well, sometimes big things happen even in a small town.