Friday, February 7, 2025

A Giant Story

 

 Perhaps you've heard of The Gemini Giant?

The Giant is arguably The Best of Route 66's seemingly endless array of cherished roadside icons. John and Bernice Korelc opened a Dari-Delight restaurant in Wilmington, Illinois, in 1960. Five years later they bought a 438-pound fiberglass Muffler Man figure for $3,500 at the annual National Restaurant Association convention. Seeking to capitalize on America's fascination with the Space Race, they rebranded the restaurant as the "Launching Pad" and had the statue outfitted as an astronaut with helmet and rocket. A naming contest was held at the local grade school to give the statue a new moniker, and Cathy Thomas's suggestion of "Gemini Giant" was selected as the winner. Since then, the Giant has become famous iconography of Route 66, often appearing national and international media alongside stories about the Mother Road. Its continued presence in Wilmington has become one of the most photographed destinations for travelers making the Route 66 journey.

WAAY bigger than you think it is!!
There's absolutely NO doubt that The Gemini Giant is an other worldly, larger-than-life hulk in Wilmington.  We visited The Giant in October 2002 and it was a shock to actually see the statue up close in person.  It was much larger than photos made it seem to be.  As a result of our visit in 2002, we've kept a fairly close eye on the roadside icon.

The Launching Pad restaurant changed hands a few times and finally fell on hard times. It became apparent The Giant needed to be "saved" from rather wanton destruction.  Somehow area history fans managed to get a large grant from the State of Illinois. The Gemini Giant was auctioned off on March 20, 2024, for a winning bid of $275,000. A City of Wilmington press release announced the winning bid was made by the Joliet Area Historical Museum utilizing a state grant, and that the statue was donated to Wilmington and will be displayed at the South Island Park.


Due to strange circumstances surrounding The Giant, crews were dispatched the day after the auction to remove and safeguard the icon.  After a thorough "rehab & repair" of The Giant, it was then erected in Wilmington's South Island Park. A happy celebration and dedication ceremony was staged November 30, 2024 with The Giant standing tall in its new location.

Bob Navarro, president and CEO of Joliet-based Heritage Corridor Destinations, snaps a quick selfie moments before he helped cut the ribbon for the Gemini Giant's new statue location in Wilmington's South Island Park. (John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor )  For numerous other photos of the event see:



Why were we at The Gemini Giant in October 2002?  Good question!  We were serving as Volunteer "Secret Shoppers" for the US Forest Service.  (Long Story.)  Anyway, we had an appointment at the nearby Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.  So we stopped by to see The Giant.

Here are some additional links:
First, the obligatory Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_Giant
A well done, interesting story describing the situation "before" is devolved.
Article has many photos of the day the Giant was removed but it's a real slog to read.
https://choosingfigs.com/living-without-a-car/
After the situation devolved...
https://patch.com/illinois/joliet/destruction-launching-pad-underway-police-cite-owner-12-photos
This is the best summary of the giant fiberglass statues we've yet found:





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