Jim Bolin’s house is adorned with wind chimes, a nod to his late grandmother. He was listening to their nostalgic rings one evening over a decade ago and thought: “I wonder what the world’s largest wind chime (is).”
Back then, the largest was 27 feet long, Bolin says. Now, the record-holder swings at an impressive 42 feet—and its maker? None other than the Casey, Illinois, businessman himself.
“Being a pipeline company, we have all kinds of used pipes,” says the creator, who also runs Bolin Enterprises. “When we had time, I started building this giant wind chime and we finished it . . . and got it in the Guinness Book as the world’s largest wind chime.”
Thirteen years later, Bolin is still building big. In Casey (pop. 2,400), he and his crew at the enterprise have constructed nearly 30 large-scale works out of repurposed material, scattered around town. There’s an enormous crochet hook and mailbox; a softball bat and a rocking chair.
He calls the project Big Things Small Town.
Whenever the mood strikes or a new business comes to town, Bolin gets to work. He’ll find, say, a broken spring from an overhead door at his company. Bingo—it’s a massive mousetrap. Or the library will need a fundraising boost; Bolin’s there with a big ol’ bookworm.
“Jim was a visionary with this,” says Tom Daughhetee, economic development director with the city. “He and his team are extremely skilled builders and they’re very clever. That creativity and the know-how to actually build them has just been fantastic. They should be considered art in many ways.”
And many people do: Bolin says between 1,000 and 2,000 people probably stop in Casey each week, though it’s tough to know for sure. He quickly noticed out-of-state license plates driving by after he advertised on the nearby interstate (most of the sculptures are a four-minute detour off I-70). Daughhetee says he’s seen an increase in visitors both for Big Things and to check out what else the small city has to offer.
“Before the big things, our downtown was completely empty,” Daughhetee says. “(Big Things Small Town) is a pretty good thing to be known for . . . and you just see all these people gawking and smiles on their faces and kids running around and getting their picture taken.”
That collective joy is what keeps Bolin creating (he’s currently working on an oversized fishing pole.) Born and raised in Casey, it’s easy for him to recount what he loves about the town. He talks about the Popcorn Festival and Candy Canes on Main—“it’s like a Hallmark movie.”
“It’s not really the dirt under our feet. It’s the people,” Bolin says. “When you go uptown, everybody knows each other . . . I like the sports experience at our schools. I like the county experience with the festivals that we have.”
“That’s what brings people back multiple times,” he adds. “It’s not the Big Things; it’s the human part of just enjoying life.”
Colossal Casey
World’s Largest!
Wind Chime, Golf Tee, Rocking Chair, Wooden Shoes, Pitchfork, Mailbox, Key, Gavel, Swizzle Spoon, Golf Driver, Barbershop Pole, Teeter Totter
Other Big Things in Town
Antlers, Birdcage, and Bat
Anvil and Horseshoe
Bookworm and Nail Puzzle
Cactus, Ear of Corn, and WW
Knitting Needles and Crochet Hook
Mouse Trap and Rocking Horse
Pokeball and Minion
Spinning Top and Toy Glider
Taco and Piggy Bank
Wooden Token and Pizza Slicer
Yardstick and Pencil
