Author Spotlight
Lyda Cosgrove
It isn’t easy to wear the “I’m from Kansas” label with pride. Cows, tornadoes and the Wizard of Oz may not be as boast-worthy as New York’s skyscrapers or California’s beaches, but I sought out some Kansas oddities and attractions worth bragging about.
No other state has the world’s largest ball of twine, or the second largest electric shovel. And there’s definitely nowhere else with a museum dedicated entirely to barbed wire.
If you find yourself bored over the upcoming three-day weekend or are looking for unique ways to spend your Thanksgiving break, fill up the gas tank, open Google Maps and discover a few of Kansas’s hidden gems.
High on my bucket list is visiting Stonehenge — the oldest wonder of the world, known for its prehistoric arrangement of stones in the English countryside. While it’s not nearly the same, I can take a step closer to that dream by visiting Truckhenge — Kansas’s very own wonder of the world — just an hour away in Topeka.
Off I-70 and down the Seward Avenue exit is Lessman’s Farm — a plot of land-turned-eclectic-passion-project by owner and artist Ron Lessman. I came for the arrangement of six antique and graffiti-covered trucks jutting out from the ground but stayed for the roaming peacocks, chainsaw wood carvings and fences covered in long lost shoes and bowling pins. Throughout the property were similar arrangements known as “boathenge” and “bushenge” — both equally as quirky and photo-worthy.
Towering over miles of the plains that stretch on through southern Kansas, this towering electric shovel known as “Big Brutus” can be seen in the horizon as you approach the small town of West Mineral. As their website puts it, “Big Brutus put the oooohs and aaahs in the backyard of the Heartlands!!!” and I couldn’t agree more.
Instead of posing in sunflower fields or the Plaza steps, why not have a photo op in front of this 16-story tall, 11 million-pound Bucyrus-Erie model 1850-B electric shovel? For a small entrance fee of $8.75 for adults and $5.50 for kids, you can take all the BeReal-worthy shots you want, and the non-profit’s admissions are donated to Mining Heritage of Southeast Kansas.
In 1953, Frank Stober started this now-13 ton-ball in Cawker City, which has held the Guinness World Record for the largest ball of twine since 1973. The ball now contains around 600 miles of twine — the distance between Kansas and San Francisco — and it’s still growing.
You may have just missed the annual “twine-a-thon” in August where anyone can contribute their own twine to expand the ball, but Cawker City is in the spirit year-round with twine-themed artworks in business’s windows and painted stripes of twine along the sidewalk.
If it isn’t in your schedule to make the four-hour drive to Cawker City, where the real deal is displayed, the world’s second largest ball of twine is only two hours away in the Columbus Museum.
The 826-pound and 468-mile-long ball of string may be nothing compared to the world record holder, but the museum’s slew of artifacts dating back to the 19th century — including vintage clothing, tractors, farm equipment and sporting goods — make it a historical and uniquely-Kansas stop.
Who needs to visit Philadelphia to see the real Liberty Bell when we have our very own Kansas-version? Made entirely out of turkey red wheat straw, this life-size replica of the Liberty Bell is housed in the Mennonite Heritage and Agriculture Museum located three hours west in Goessel. If you feel like staring at some straw to ignite your Kansan pride, the Wheat Liberty Bell is a must see.
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