Biology:Big Potato Man

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Short description: Potato sculpture in New Brunswick, Canada


Big Potato Man
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Coordinates [ ⚑ ] 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.[1] Made using concrete, it stands at a height of 20 feet (6.1 m) with a thickness of 3 feet (0.91 m).[2] The sculpture has two legs, arms resembling twigs,[1] a smiling face,[3] and sports a black top hat.[1] 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.[4][5]

Big Potato Man stands along Route 105, which was formerly part of the Trans-Canada Highway.[6] Since 1969, it has stood at the front of a farming business.[7]

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,[2] known then as Harvey's,[5] selling vegetables at their roadside stand.[2]

Big Potato Man

In 1968, Karl Harvey, who ran the family farming business at the time, sought the creation for a large potato sculpture,[2] seeking a creative method to advertise his stand. In 1969, Karl had Big Potato Man built.[4] Created by sculptor Winston Bronnum using concrete,[5][2][8] 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."[2] Following Karl Harvey's death in 1996, the $1,500 Karl Harvey Memorial Scholarship was posthumously created in his honour.[9] On March 24, 1999, the sculpture was nearly destroyed when a fire struck the business.[10][11]

In November 2015,[12] the farm and home of Big Potato Man, then known as Harvey's Big Potato farm, was put up for sale.[2] Silver Valley Farms began leasing the farm in 2016,[13] and would take ownership of the establishment in September 2021.[14] In April 2022, Silver Valley Farms sought repairs for Big Potato Man, which was at risk of collapsing.[15] However, repair costs quoted at CA$10,000 prompted the creation of a GoFundMe campaign.[16] It raised over CA$4,600 within the first 48 hours,[17] and successfully reached its goal within nearly two weeks.[14]

See also

  • The World's Largest Lobster, another sculpture made by Bronnum

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Tobias, Conan (9 August 2020). "Big As All Outdoors - Taddle Creek" (in en-CA). https://www.taddlecreekmag.com/big-as-all-outdoors. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Steeves, Shelley (20 November 2015). "'The backbone of the business was the potato': Buzz Harvey to sell iconic farm in Maugerville". Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/2352329/the-backbone-of-the-business-was-the-potato-buzz-harvey-to-sell-iconic-farm-in-maugerville/. 
  3. ↑ Clow, Tara. "Help Save The 'Potatoman'" (in en). 91.9 The Bend. https://www.919thebend.ca/2022/04/29/help-save-the-potatoman/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 MacAfee, Michelle (21 January 1995). "Curious monuments in quest for quirky" (in en). Star-Phoenix. The Canadian Press: p. 52. https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-phoenix/145634759/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jaeger, Griffin (26 July 2022). "Bringing Maugerville's Big Potato back to life a 'proud moment' for mason". CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/big-potato-restored-1.6531501. 
  6. ↑ "Canadian communities take pride in large monuments" (in en). The Leader-Post: p. 49. 28 January 1995. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leader-post/145635282/. 
  7. ↑ Smellie, Sarah (27 April 2022). "Thousands raised for N.B. roadside potato man statue in need of many fixings - New Brunswick". Global News. The Canadian Press. https://globalnews.ca/news/8791331/nb-potato-man-statue-fundraising/. 
  8. ↑ "The Big Potato Info". http://harveysbigpotato.com/potato_info.html. 
  9. ↑ "Scholarship offered in Karl Harvey's memory". The Daily Gleaner. 1 June 1998. https://www.proquest.com/docview/412618898/. 
  10. ↑ "Fire Ravages Landmark" (in en). The Toronto Star: p. 6. 25 March 1999. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star/145634998/. 
  11. ↑ "Fire ravages potato landmark" (in en). Morning Sentinel: p. 13. 25 March 1999. https://www.newspapers.com/article/morning-sentinel/145635094/. 
  12. ↑ Sirois, Stephanie (6 June 2016). "Harvey's Big Potato reopens under new management". CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/harveys-big-potato-reopens-1.3618663. 
  13. ↑ LaVerne, Stewart (9 June 2016). "Harvey's Big Potato to open later this month under new management". The Daily Gleaner. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1794720676/. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Hallihan, Bruce (10 May 2022). "Potato Man to be repaired after public's 'awesome response'". The Daily Gleaner. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2888581829/. 
  15. ↑ Samson, Alyson (26 April 2022). "New Brunswick's Big Potato Man under threat of being mashed" (in en). CTV Atlantic. https://www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/article/new-brunswicks-big-potato-man-under-threat-of-being-mashed/. 
  16. ↑ Samson, Alyson; Wentzell, Stephen (23 July 2022). "The Big Potato goes from tattered tater to sophisticated spud in N.B. town" (in en). CTV Atlantic. https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/the-big-potato-goes-from-tattered-tater-to-sophisticated-spud-in-n-b-town-1.5999807. 
  17. ↑ Hallihan, Bruce (26 April 2022). "Iconic Big Potato Man needs a hand; Rescuing a landmark". The Daily Gleaner. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2888581323/. 



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