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Big Potato Man

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Potato sculpture in New Brunswick, Canada

Big Potato Man
45°53′16″N 66°31′29″W / 45.887798°N 66.524637°W / 45.887798; -66.524637 (Big Potato Man)
LocationMaugerville, New Brunswick, Canada
DesignerWinston Bronnum
TypePotato sculpture
Materialconcrete
Height6.1 metres (20 ft)
Opening date1969

Big Potato Man is a sculpture of a large potato man located along Route 105 in Maugerville, New Brunswick, Canada. Constructed in 1969 by Winston Bronnum, Big Potato Man serves as a form of roadside advertisement for the adjacent farming business.

Description

Big Potato Man is a large potato sculpture in Maugerville, New Brunswick. Made using concrete, it stands at a height of 20 feet (6.1 m) with a thickness of 3 feet (0.91 m). The sculpture has two legs, arms resembling twigs, a smiling face, and sports a black top hat. Big Potato Man was created in 1969 by sculptor Winston Bronnum for Karl Harvey, as a means to advertise the roadside stand for his family farming business.

Big Potato Man stands along Route 105, which was formerly part of the Trans-Canada Highway. Since 1969, it has stood at the front of a farming business.

History

Background

In 1921, J. H. Harvey bought a farm in Maugerville, a small community along the Saint John River between Fredericton and Oromocto. The Harvey family ran a business, known then as Harvey's, selling vegetables at their roadside stand.

Big Potato Man

In 1968, Karl Harvey, who ran the family farming business at the time, sought the creation for a large potato sculpture, seeking a creative method to advertise his stand. In 1969, Karl had Big Potato Man built. Created by sculptor Winston Bronnum using concrete, the sculpture measured 20 feet (6.1 m) high and had a thickness of 3 feet. Big Potato Man proved successful for the business, with Gordon (Buzz) Harvey, Karl's son, later saying "he doubled our business within three to four years pretty well." Following Karl Harvey's death in 1996, the $1,500 Karl Harvey Memorial Scholarship was posthumously created in his honour. On March 24, 1999, the sculpture was nearly destroyed when a fire struck the business.

In November 2015, the farm and home of Big Potato Man, then known as Harvey's Big Potato farm, was put up for sale. Silver Valley Farms began leasing the farm in 2016, and would take ownership of the establishment in September 2021. In April 2022, Silver Valley Farms sought repairs for Big Potato Man, which was at risk of collapsing. However, repair costs quoted at CA$10,000 prompted the creation of a GoFundMe campaign, which quickly racked in support. The fundraiser raised over CA$4,600 within the first 48 hours, and successfully reached its goal within nearly two weeks.

See also

References

  1. ^ Tobias, Conan (August 9, 2020). "Big As All Outdoors - Taddle Creek". Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Steeves, Shelley (November 20, 2015). "'The backbone of the business was the potato': Buzz Harvey to sell iconic farm in Maugerville". Global News. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  3. Clow, Tara. "Help Save The 'Potatoman'". 91.9 The Bend. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  4. ^ MacAfee, Michelle (January 21, 1995). "Curious monuments in quest for quirky". Star-Phoenix. The Canadian Press. p. 52. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Jaeger, Griffin (July 26, 2022). "Bringing Maugerville's Big Potato back to life a 'proud moment' for mason". CBC News. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  6. "Canadian communities take pride in large monuments". The Leader-Post. January 28, 1995. p. 49. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  7. Smellie, Sarah (April 27, 2022). "Thousands raised for N.B. roadside potato man statue in need of many fixings - New Brunswick". Global News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  8. "The Big Potato Info". Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  9. "Scholarship offered in Karl Harvey's memory". The Daily Gleaner. June 1, 1998. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  10. "Fire Ravages Landmark". The Toronto Star. March 25, 1999. p. 6. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  11. "Fire ravages potato landmark". Morning Sentinel. March 25, 1999. p. 13. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  12. Sirois, Stephanie (June 6, 2016). "Harvey's Big Potato reopens under new management". CBC News. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  13. LaVerne, Stewart (June 9, 2016). "Harvey's Big Potato to open later this month under new management". The Daily Gleaner. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  14. ^ Hallihan, Bruce (May 10, 2022). "Potato Man to be repaired after public's 'awesome response'". The Daily Gleaner. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  15. Samson, Alyson (April 26, 2022). "New Brunswick's Big Potato Man under threat of being mashed". CTV Atlantic. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  16. Samson, Alyson; Wentzell, Stephen (July 23, 2022). "The Big Potato goes from tattered tater to sophisticated spud in N.B. town". CTV Atlantic. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  17. Hallihan, Bruce (April 26, 2022). "Iconic Big Potato Man needs a hand; Rescuing a landmark". The Daily Gleaner. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
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