Crossing the open farmland of southwestern Minnesota, you’ll encounter an otherworldly sight: a massive head with a beard, mustache and red-striped top hat looming over the horizon. Pull into the small town of Luverne — about 200 miles from Minneapolis — and a giant nutcracker dressed like Uncle Sam comes into view. The nutcracker — named Verne the Patriot — stands 65 feet 7½ inches tall, with the pedestal pushing it an additional 9 feet over the surrounding prairie. That’s almost twice the height of a 33-foot-tall nutcracker in Neuhausen, Germany, that Guinness World Records currently has ranked as the largest. Katie Walgrave, who runs a rock shop called Those Blasted Things, said since the nutcracker was completed in mid-June, her customers have quadrupled. A city committee came up with the idea of building the world’s tallest nutcracker, timing it to arrive as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary. The nutcracker was several years in the making, with the pieces crafted in Utah and assembled in Luverne. The head and hat had to be lifted on with a crane to complete the structure. It cost around $600,000, and was funded by donations and grants.
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| Verne the Patriot rises behind the shop Those Blasted Things in Luverne, Minn. |
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| Thousands of nutcrackers are displayed at the Rock County History Center |
