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Title of multiple roadside attractions From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are multiple claims to the world's biggest ball of twine record, all within the United States. As of 2014[update], the ball of twine with the largest circumference is located in Cawker City, Kansas, measured at 8.06 feet (2.46 m) in diameter and 10.83 feet (3.30 m) in height.[1][needs update]
In Cawker City, Kansas, Frank Stoeber created a ball that contained 1.6 million feet (490,000 m) of twine and had reached an 11-foot-diameter (3.4 m) when he died in 1974. Cawker City built an open-air gazebo over Stoeber's ball where every August a "Twine-a-thon" is held and more twine is added to the ball. By 2006, the twine ball had reached 17,886 pounds (8,111 kg, 8.9 US tons), a circumference of 40 feet (12 m), and a length of 7,801,766 feet (2,377.978 km; 1,477.6072 mi).[2][3] In 2013, its weight was estimated at 19,973 pounds. As of August 2014, the ball measured 41.42 feet (12.62 m) in circumference, 8.06 feet (2.46 m) in diameter, and 10.83 feet (3.30 m) in height and was still growing.[4][1]
Darwin, Minnesota, is the home of a ball of baler twine rolled by Francis A. Johnson. It is 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter and weighs 17,400 pounds (7,900 kg; 8.7 short tons). Johnson began rolling the twine in March 1950, and wrapped it for four hours daily for 29 years. It is currently housed in an enclosed gazebo across from the town park on Main Street at (45.096332°N 94.410276°W) to prevent the public from touching it. The town celebrates "Twine Ball Day" on the second Saturday in August every year. An adjacent volunteer-run, free to visit museum and gift shop has information on the history of the ball, as well as a variety of souvenirs for sale.[3][5][6][7] It was the long-standing holder of the "biggest ball of twine" title in the Guinness Book of World Records, holding the title from its completion in 1979 until 1994, and was referenced by "Weird Al" Yankovic in his 1989 song "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota."[1]
In Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin, James Frank Kotera created the heaviest ball of twine ever built. Kotera, known by his initials "JFK," started working on the ball in 1979 and continued until his death in January 2023.[8] The weight of the ball, 24,160 pounds (10,960 kg), was estimated by measuring the weight of each bag of twine. During Kotera’s life, the ball was housed in an open-air enclosure in his yard; after his death, a former neighbor organized a fundraiser to relocate it, and in 2024 it was moved to a concrete slab near the Highland Town Hall, where volunteers constructed a shelter to protect it.[8][9] Kotera also created a smaller companion to the ball, which he nicknamed "Junior", that was made of string.[7][10]
In Branson, Missouri, a ball of nylon twine built by J. C. Payne of Valley View, Texas, is on display in Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum. The ball, which measures 41.5 feet (12.6 m) in circumference, was certified as the world's largest ball of twine by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1993. It is, however, the lightest of the four contenders, weighing 12,000 pounds.[3][11][12]
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