Three of the World’s Largest Things in Ohio
As seen while my friend and I meandered on our way home from the “Super Bowl.” Photographed with a Pentax K1000 + Kodak Ultramax 400 35mm film.
1. The World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock of Sugarcreek:
The “World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock” sits at the corner of Main and Broadway streets in the town of Sugarcreek. It’s just one of many alpine themed buildings in the surrounding, charming area. The town bills itself as the “Little Switzerland of Ohio” and is home to the annual Ohio Swiss Festival.
The clock was originally built in 1972 at a restaurant located ~20 minutes north of its present location. Apparently once requiring a quarter to make it operate for visiting tourists and diners, the clock was featured on the cover of the hardcover edition of the Guinness Book of World Records in 1978.
After the restaurant’s closure, the clock was relocated to Sugarcreek where volunteers have maintained it since 2010. At the top and bottom of every hour between 9 am and 9 p.m., the timepiece comes to life with a polka band and dancing figures.
While it’s still billed as the “World’s Largest” and technically once was, the Guinness Book of World Records has recognized a new champion since 1997 in Triberg, Germany.
The nearby Cuckoo’s Nest gift shop.
1. The World’s Largest Apple Basket of Cass Township:
I’d had this spot marked on my map back when I was still traveling a lot throughout the state for life, work, and “35mm Ohio.” We came across the basket sitting in the middle of a tourist attraction that had apparently been closed for some time—an area of shuttered shops and weed-choked parking lots. The complex had once been the “Longaberger Homestead,” a destination based off the popularity of the Longaberger basket company. Featuring the “World’s Largest Apple Basket” was an appropriate thematic choice, because not far down the road is…
3. The World’s Largest Basket in Newark:
What’s known as “the World’s Largest Basket” is actually a former office building, the previous headquarters of the aforementioned Longaberger company. The story of that organization and how they came to abandon their pair of world’s largest baskets, however, is one for another time.
I’ll get to that soon. Got to it.
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