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In the little town of Casey,
Illinois, there are great big attractions to see. So
big, in fact, that eight of them are known by the
Guinness World Records as the World’s largest. All are
actually functional, a requirement from the Guinness
Book of Records. With a population of only 2752, Casey
is located conveniently near Interstate 70, between
Effingham and Terre Haute, IN. Be sure to look around for
other gigantic items not necessarily with World records,
but definitely worth finding. There is a birdcage large
enough for kids to walk in and actually swing on the
perch. We found a large yardstick, a Minion, pencil,
wooden coin and ear of corn. I’m sure there are more.
There are plans to add more as well. Most items are made
of recycled materials. For instance, a rocking chair
made good use of old telephone poles.
It was local resident, Jim
Bolin, of Bolin Enterprises, Inc. that first
incorporated the idea of creating huge things for the
purpose of giving back to his quaint little village.
After two years of planning and building, the first
World record for largest, a giant wind chime, was
erected in 2011. Next, came a golf tee at the local
country club. You can even climb up and walk into the
mailbox. For a souvenir, you can buy a hand -stamped
postcard to mail home directly from the World’s Largest
Mailbox.
With ideas flooding in,
they continued to build and began to promote Casey as a
tourist spot to help the village flourish. And it did.
Each item has a message from the Bible written on or
near it that has something relating to the object. For
the wind chime, Romans 1:16 NIV is placed. If you have
time, stop by the Big Things in a Small Town Workshop.
Here, you may witness the designing, carving or making
of the next big, big item to add to the villages
collection.
All this walking and
taking pictures can make a person hungry. Next to the
wind chime is Whitling Whimsy Café. On a pretty day,
order and take it outside on the wide wrap around porch.
Deli style sandwiches from fried bologna to chicken
salad are available. Save room for a delicious slice of
pie for dessert. There are different specials each day
of the week. It is just a comfortable and relaxing place
to go for a casual lunch. For more information, visit Eighteen-Ninety Sleepover is
a locally owned boutique hotel located in downtown
Casey. Built by the Knights of Pythius in 1890, this
former meeting hall has been renovated to an early 1900s
themed Sleepover.The old-style brick walls and antique
décor brags history while modern amineties are also
available. The owners did an amazing job with blending
the original elements of the building to modern comforts
needed. To choose your room and make a reservation,
visit
http://www.eighteen-ninetysleepover.com
This visit is sure to be one
you will want to repeat, just to see what the
townspeople have come up with next.
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Public Disclosure--
Please Read I recently learned of a FTC law requiring web sites to let their readers know if any of the stories are "sponsored" or compensated. American Roads and Global Highways' feature writers are professional travel writers. As such we are frequently invited on press trips, also called fam trips. Most of the articles here are results of these trips. On these trips most of our lodging, dining, admissions fees and often plane fare are covered by the city or firm hosting the trip. It is an opportunity to visit places we might not otherwise be able to visit and bring you a great story. However, no one tells us what to write about those places. All opinions are 100% those of the author of that feature column. |
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