Luverne’s 65-foot nutcracker takes aim at a world record
The Minnesota city unveiled Verne the Patriot, a giant nutcracker tied to a local collector and a tourism push launched in 2017.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
A 65-foot nutcracker now stands near the edge of Luverne, Minnesota, and the city wants Guinness World Records to make the obvious official: Verne the Patriot may be the tallest of his kind.
UPI reported that the towering figure was designed by artist Katie Walgrave and opened to the public Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The city is seeking recognition from Guinness World Records for the new landmark.
Verne is the latest, and by far the most vertical, piece of Luverne’s nutcracker-themed tourism campaign. According to UPI, the city adopted the theme in 2017 after local resident Betty Mann became known for her collection of 7,554 nutcrackers.
Mann, 96, attended the ceremony for the new sculpture. She told The Minnesota Star Tribune that the moment overwhelmed her.
“Right now, I'm crying, I have tears in my eyes because I'm overwhelmed,” Mann told the newspaper.
A tall order for Guinness
The record Verne is chasing currently belongs to a nutcracker sculpture in Germany, according to Guinness World Records. That sculpture, which measured 33 feet and 1 inch, set the mark in 2008.
Luverne’s new figure is 65 feet tall, putting it at nearly twice the height of the current record holder. Walgrave told KMSP-TV the city is confident about the size comparison.
“We know he's the tallest because he is almost twice as tall as the current world record holder,” Walgrave told the station.
Guinness World Records had not been reported as having certified Verne as the record holder as of UPI’s Wednesday report. For now, Luverne has the statue, the ribbon cutting and the paperwork hopes.
A local collection turned civic calling card
The town’s nutcracker identity traces back to Mann’s collection, which UPI reported totals 7,554 pieces. Her hobby helped inspire a municipal tourism theme that has now produced a roadside giant with a patriotic name.
UPI reported that Verne was installed recently near the edge of the city. The Saturday ceremony marked its formal public debut.
The project gives Luverne a new attraction built around a local story rather than a generic roadside oddity. Its record bid also places the city in a familiar small-town tourism lane: the bigger, taller and more photographable, the better.
Whether Guinness signs off or not, Verne the Patriot has already given Luverne a 65-foot symbol for a campaign that began with one resident’s remarkable collection.
This story draws on original reporting from UPI.