Sunday, September 28, 2014

Will B. Rolling Statue

Here's a very recent, very fun find. It's in Port Byron, Illinois, and is named "Will B. Rolling".  "Will" and his Penny-farthing (old-fashioned bicycle) top out at 30 feet (9.14m).

Port Byron is a small town in northern Illinois alongside the mighty Mississippi River.

Fun fact: Port Byron competes with Le Claire, Iowa, each year in a "tug fest". A 2700' (823m) rope is stretched across the Mississippi River for a series of tug-of-war competitions.  Tug Fest is the only event in the U.S. that allows the Mississippi River to be shut down.



It dawned on me that I had this postcard in my collection. Soooo, you get a BONUS fun fact: "Will B. Rolling" is a replica of "Big Ben Bikin'" which is billed as the world's largest bicycle, and is located in Sparta, Wisconsin.

2 comments:

Cari said...

That is a lot of fun facts.

I do enjoy good small town activities and the tug of war sounds fabulous. These are the types of things a river should close down for! Where you, by any chance, there to see this tugging?

ONeal said...

I agree with you. If a river is to be closed down, this is the perfect reason for it!

I was not there to see the tugging in person. The tugfest is held in August each year. I stopped by in September.