Biggest ball of twine facts for kids
Imagine a ball of string so big it's a world record! Across the United States, several towns claim to have the biggest ball of twine. These giant balls are made from many miles of string or rope, wrapped tightly together. It's a fun competition to see who can make the largest one.
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The Biggest Community Twine Ball
In Cawker City, Kansas, you can find a huge ball of twine. It was started by Frank Stoeber. When he passed away in 1974, his ball had about 1.6 million feet (490,000 meters) of twine. It was also 11 feet (3.4 meters) wide!
How the Cawker City Ball Grew
The people of Cawker City decided to keep adding to Frank's ball. They built a special open-air shelter for it. Every August, they have a "Twine-a-thon." During this event, everyone can add more twine to the ball.
By 2006, this amazing ball weighed over 17,886 pounds (8,111 kg). It was 40 feet (12 meters) around. By 2013, it weighed almost 20,000 pounds! In 2014, it was about 41.42 feet (12.62 meters) around. It was also 8.06 feet (2.46 meters) wide and 10.83 feet (3.30 meters) tall. This ball is still growing today!
The Biggest Twine Ball Made by One Person
In Darwin, Minnesota, there's another famous twine ball. This one was made by just one person, Francis A. Johnson. He started rolling twine in March 1950. For 29 years, he worked on it for about four hours every day!
About Francis Johnson's Ball
When Francis finished in 1979, his ball was 12 feet (3.7 meters) wide. It weighed about 17,400 pounds (7,900 kg). For many years, it was listed in the Guinness World Records as the biggest ball of twine.
Today, the ball is kept in a special building in Darwin. This helps protect it from people touching it. The town celebrates "Twine Ball Day" every year in August. There's also a small museum nearby. It tells the story of the ball and sells souvenirs. The famous musician "Weird Al" Yankovic even sang about this ball in his 1989 song "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota."
The Heaviest Twine Ball
In Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin, James Frank Kotera claims to have the heaviest ball of twine. He started his project in 1979 and is still adding to it!
How Heavy Is It?
James estimates his ball weighs about 19,336 pounds (8,770 kg). He figures this out by weighing each bag of twine he adds. This makes his ball the heaviest one ever built. It sits in an open area on his lawn. He also has a smaller ball called "Junior," which is made of string.
The Largest Nylon Twine Ball
In Branson, Missouri, you can see a ball of twine made from nylon. This ball was created by J. C. Payne from Valley View, Texas. It is now on display at the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum.
Nylon Ball Records
This nylon ball is 41.5 feet (12.6 meters) around. In 1993, the Guinness World Records certified it as the world's largest ball of twine. However, it is the lightest of the four main contenders, weighing 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg).
Images for kids
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Twine ball in Darwin, Minnesota (2021)
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Twine ball in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin as of July 2022.
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Close-up of the Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin Twine ball in 2022
See also
In Spanish: La bola de hilo más grande del mundo para niños
