Casey, Illinois is a small town with a population of just over 2,700. But unlike most small towns of its stature, Casey is more than just a big white church underneath a canopy of fall leaves. In fact, the little town right off of Interstate I-70 is home to some of the largest attractions in the entire world.
Weighing in at over 46,000 pounds, the 56-foot rocking chair on East Main Street is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest rocking chair in the world. Creator Jim Bolin got the idea when he saw the world’s former record holding rocking chair in Missouri at 42 feet tall.
“It’s a cool rocking chair. It’s neat. But I consider it a front porch rocking chair. I wanted to build a piece of furniture you would put into your house,” Bolin explained, describing his record-breaking rocking chair’s classic design, carvings, and stainable wood.
“No matter what angle you’re looking at it from, you just feel so small,” said Deb Bohannon, who runs marketing and media for Bolin’s pipeline and tank maintenance company. “The carpentry work, the details involved… It looks like actual, genuine furniture. It’s a chair you’d have in your living room. It’s relatable. So to see it this big…”
For Bolin, the rocking chair may be his favorite giant creation. That, or the mailbox. Yes, there’s more. Casey, Illinois is currently home to almost 20 giant creations, with six being current world record breakers. And Bolin is already preparing to have six more Guinness World Record-sized items ready for viewing by September of this year.
“The whole concept of a small has changed,” Bolin said. “They can think outside the box. Create a place to go. It’s all about a destination.”
World's Largest Pitchfork in Casey. The first of its kind to set the record. [Photo/Bolin, Inc.]
In early 2007, Bolin was taking a family vacation to Colorado when his teenage daughter and wife fell in love with a little tea shop. They said it’d be nice to bring a small eatery like that to Casey. While Bolin thought the idea was interesting, he figured that a town with under 3,000 people would have a hard time supporting a tea shop. He even felt it may take away business from other restaurants in town.
Sitting on his mother’s porch, listening to her wind chimes, Bolin started to ponder what would attract more people to a small town like Casey. How could he get people to get off of I-70?
Later, Bolin glanced at some of the pipes he was working with at his company. He thought to himself, “What would a giant wind chime sound like?” Then he started to wonder what it would take to create the biggest wind chime. It took two years, but Bolin completed the giant wind chimes in 2011. And right away, he noticed people taking an interest in it.
“I was going to just build one thing. But my focus has changed since then,” Bolin said.
To be in the Guinness Book of World Records, large items have to be at least 10 times the size of the original product. Bolin’s six record holders include a 60 foot pitchfork, a 30 foot golf tee, wooden shoes that are over 2,500 pounds each, 13 foot knitting needles, a working mailbox, and the rocking chair. The other dozen gigantic items include a 35 foot pencil, a 36 foot ruler, a spinning top, a rocking horse, a bicycle, and even a bird cage that visitors can swing in.
Most of the large creations are on Main Street, and none are viewable from the highway. To check out the oversized items, people have to get off the interstate and come see the masterpieces for themselves.
“That’s the fun part,” said Bohannon. “Being interactive. You have to come in and explore. You have to experience it. The mailbox is functional. You can mail something out of it. And everything mailed out of it is post stamped with ‘World’s Largest Mailbox.’ The wind chimes actually chime. The giant teeter totter does, indeed, teeter totter. You can swing in the bird cage…”
The unique experience (and photo opportunities) has made Casey, Illinois not only a last-minute turn off an exit, but a destination.
“We have a map where people can put a pin to indicate where they’re from,” Bolin said. “Every three months we had to pull all the pins back out. It gets completely covered. People can’t find a place to stick a pin. It’s really neat to see the people coming in from all over.”
By the end of September, Casey should have six more Guinness Book of World Record holdings. This will include a wooden gavel, a golf driver, an old fashioned barber shop pole, the teeter totter that teeter tots, a twizzle spoon for mixed drinks, and a truck key.
Since Bolin began creating extra-large items, his goal has been to have 12 record holders. That’s when Bolin will finally stop. For now.
“If someone beats our records, I don’t think we are going to create more or make them bigger,” Bohannon speculated. “We believe they’ll get beat at some point. But they will always be the ‘Big Things in a Small Town.’”
For Bohannon, the growing collection of large things has been amazing to watch, and she feels fortunate to be a part of it in some way. And it’s not just because they break records. It’s what it’s done for the town. She has seen the town grow, but also seen the people grow within it. They’re so open to visitors and are always there to answer questions.
“I always say we went from 3,000 citizens to 3,000 tourist advocates,” she laughed.
The free destination has become well known throughout the world. And the people of Casey have embraced their identity.
“I love being from a small community,” said Bolin. “I love my neighbors. And this is all about dreaming. Whatever you can think of in your mind, if you put your heart to it, and you’re passionate about it, you can do anything. You can build anything. You can be anybody you want to be.”