Egg Battle
Mentone, Indiana , Winlock, Washington, Vegreville, Alberta
Big Eggs aren't designed for battle, even when made of concrete, like our two contenders for World's Largest Egg title. Both eggs have managed to hold onto identical civic claims, with nary a bloodbath or scramble for victory.
Perhaps it's the 2,000 miles that separates them. The big egg in Winlock, Washington, south of Tacoma, is twelve feet long and weighs 1,200 lbs. It sits on a pedestal on a ten-foot steel pole in the wide, grassy median running through the center of town. On the pedestal is written " World's Largest EGG, WINLOCK."
Winlock was America's second largest egg producing town until the 1950s, but local egg pride shows no sign of cracking. The first big egg was fashioned from canvas by town boosters in 1923, part of a celebration around the opening of the Pacific Highway. A plastic version replaced it in 1944. In the 1960s, the egg was upgraded to fiberglass model, which lasted until the early 1990s. A local chicken hatcheryman, Vern L. Zander, funded the most recent egg before his death in 1993. Winlock holds its Egg Day festival on the fourth weekend in June.
The
other one is in Mentone, Indiana,
nestled in the gridded, lightly traveled north-central part of the state. It
stands on end next to a bank parking lot.
The Mentone Egg is made of concrete, weighs 3,000 pounds, and is about 10 feet high. It was originally constructed in 1946 to advertise the local egg festival. It's inscribed with " The Egg Basket of the Midwest," and a basket of eggs within an outline-shape of Indiana.
The town lacks other egg emphasis, so the cynical might view this as just another opportunistic concrete blob.
Vegreville in Alberta, Canada, appears to have cracked both eggs' claims with it's own giant " Pysanka" -- the Ukrainians word for Easter Egg. It's 25.7 feet long, 18 feet wide aluminum skinned, spins like a wind vane in the prairie's occasional 100 mph+ winds, and is decorated with an elaborate, mathematically derived pattern. The egg was dedicated in 1976 to honor the Mounties centennial; the town hosts a Pysanka festival the first week of July each year. Designed by Utah computer scientist Ronald Resch, the Pysanka "World's Largest Easter Egg" is recognized for pioneering nine distinct mathematical, engineering and architectural "firsts."
Still
an egg at some level... but guess we like ours best hard-boiled, in concrete.
Albany, New York is home to "The Egg," a fanciful name for a partially ovoid theater building, completed in 1978. We think it resembles the bottom of a millionaire's yacht. Considering this a serious World's Largest Egg contender is the same as declaring New York City the World's Largest Apple.
Address: First St., Winlock, WA [Show Map]
Directions: Off of Hwy. 505, which becomes Walnut Street as you enter Winlock. Go across the railroad tracks and turn right on Kerron. The egg sits in a small park on the right about one block down Kerron.
Hours: Daylight hours. Festival - 4th weekend in June.
Address: Hwy 16A, Vegreville, AB, Canada [Show Map]
Directions: Trans Canada Yellowhead Highway, Hwy 16A, Elk's Park
November
2004: Report on Winlock's big egg in Winlock, painted with the stars
and stripes by the Winlock High School art class.
Back to Salad of the Gods
