I don't know what got into me, but for some odd reason I was listening to National Public Radio yesterday afternoon (that's morning for those of you stateside). It all started because WMAL's streaming was down, and before I knew it I had the dulcet tones of NPR droning in my ear.
Their politics aside, listening to NPR is about as entertaining as watching a web page load. They don't have a patch on the BBC World Service, for example.
Anyway, my ears perked up at a report from the World's Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas.
I had been sure the World's Largest Ball of Twine was in Minnesota, as immortalized in the classic Weird Al Yankovic song.
It turns out - will wonders never cease? - that there are at least two World's Largest Balls of Twine. The original, in Darwin, Minnesota, is no longer the world's largest; it's been surpassed by the one in Kansas. It, however retains the coveted title of the World's Largest Ball of Twine Wrapped by One Man.
If I ever get to Minnesota or Kansas, would I deliberately want to visit either of these sites? The twine balls are sheltered by gazebos, and the local towns hold festivals in tribute of the "achievements". Which just goes to show that there is no obsession so irrational that an American can't find a way to make a buck out of it.
What does one do with an 8-ton ball of twine? Give it to a 96-ton kitten?
No comments:
Post a Comment