As detours go, it was brief.
My family and I had piled out of the car to examine a round and some-what homely creation - the world's largest ball of twine - in tiny Cawker City, Kan. We examined it, photographed it, made fun of it and continued on our journey. At the tender age of 6, I'd just had my first experience with a peculiar slice of Americana known as roadside tourist attractions.
Covering the vast frontier from North Pole, Alaska, to Key West, Fla., they range from the irreverent to the extraordinary. Some have an obvious connection with the host community while others are seemingly completely random. Some provide a service, like the barbecue joint in a cave (Richland, Mo.), while others lead services like the Drive-in Christian Church (Daytona Beach, Fla.). There are the historic, like the grave of Stonewall Jackson's arm (Fredericksburg, Va.) and the not so historic, such as the Britney Spears Museum (Kentwood, La.).
Little did I know it at the time, but Cawker City's giant ball of twine serves as a paradigm - I'm tempted to call it a microcosm - of the road-side attractions that dot our nation. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, three-quarters of vacationers drive, and luring these road warriors for a quick visit is essential to many small towns.
Impressive and silly, with a fascinating history, the ball of twine perfectly imbues the spirit of odd tourist destinations. It began in 1953, when Frank Stoeber, a local farmer, rolled spare bits of twine into a small ball to efficiently store in his barn. Instead of reusing or disposing of the twine like his rural counterparts, Stoeber kept rolling the ball. By 1961, when he donated it to the town, it had grown into a sphere more than 8 feet tall.
Since then, Cawker City has bonded around the ball, even holding an annual Twine-A-Thon to ensure that it remains the largest ball of twine in the world. And yes, there has been stiff competition for the title - most notably from their bitter rivals in Darwin, Minn.
The ball of twine not only has been a source of pride for Cawker City, but also has spawned a cottage industry of sorts. Across the street, a souvenir shop sells miniature twine-ball models alongside such standard mementos as hats and T-shirts. A local artist has created numerous paintings depicting the town's pride and joy with such titles as "Mona Lisa (with Twine Ball)," "The Scream (with Twine Ball)," "American Gothic (with Twine Ball)" ... well, you get the picture.
Businesses near roadside attractions salivate at the thought of vehicles full of tourists alighting from their cars and dropping some dough before heading on to their destinations. This vision is exactly what a local businessman in Baker, Calif., had in mind when he erected the world's tallest thermometer in 1991. Hoping to entice Californians to stop in Baker as they passed through on their way to Las Vegas, Will Herron constructed a 134-foot thermometer. The height of the structure commemorates the record high temperature of 134 in Death Valley, which was reached in 1913.
Herron sank approximately $700,000 into the project, which features 33 tons of steel and nearly 5,000 bulbs. Even with the tonnage of steel and fat bankroll, the thermometer has faced several obstacles as it attempts - a towering desert siren - to snare passing tourists. Soon after construction ended, the thermometer was promptly snapped in two by strong winds, with the top portion of the tower crushing an unsuspecting gift shop under construction. The thing was soon erected anew and fortified with concrete to strengthen its core, but it can still be rather finicky: its bulbs flame out periodically, and rain is known to hinder its accuracy.
Overall, though, the investment seems to have paid off. No longer is Baker just another dot on the map. It now has the prestige of being home to the world's tallest thermometer, which gives people a reason to stop, snap photos, eat and fill up their gas tanks.
Until recently, I would have avoided such a folksy tourist attraction at all costs. Since my less-than-thrilling experience with twine as a child, I've spent the rest of my life whizzing by highway billboards advertising the likes of the Pencil Sharpener Museum (Carbon Hill, Ohio) or The World's Largest Red Cedar Bucket (Murfreesboro, Tenn.).
My aversion to such attractions vanished, however, on a recent road trip down the California coast. Savoring rather than speeding, I stopped at every roadside attraction, never regretting a single detour. I viewed the "famous" one-log house, the Trees of Mystery and giant statues of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe. Some were better than others, but as I've aged, I have come to appreciate the history behind each attraction and how much each one means to its community. The next time I visit my grandmother in Kansas, I might even make a detour to Cawker City and add a piece of twine to the reigning record holder.
As you canvass the open roads this summer, consider stopping by the World's Champion Milk Cow Statue in nearby Carnation. Or perhaps you can visit the world's largest egg in Winlock, south of Tacoma. And while in the City of Destiny, don't forget to stop by Bob's Java Jive, the coffeepot-shaped building. A brief diversion can make for a memorable experience - just make sure you have a camera on hand to document the moment for posterity.[[In-content Ad]]
