Record Breaking Nutcracker Statue Coming to Luverne, MN in 2025

"Hey kids who wants to see the World's Largest Nutcracker Statue that's just 32 short miles away?"

That sounds like something Clark W Griswold should be asking his kids in one of the "Vacation" movies, but it isn't. However, it could be something you might be asking your kids very soon.

Next year Luverne, Minnesota is about to step into the history books.

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Dakota News Now reports that Luverne is preparing to construct the world's largest Nutcracker statue by early next year. Once completed, the statue will stand 65 feet tall.

Currently, the largest nutcracker statue resides in Neuhausen, Germany. It comes in at a whopping 33 feet tall. That monster will soon be dwarfed by Luverne's soon-to-be creation.

Jane Lanphere with the Luverne Area Chamber told Dakota News Now, “So, we wanted to increase tourism and so we hired this consultant, he came and we asked him. His premise is that small towns only have a marketing budget for one thing. We asked him, what was our one big thing? He said nutcrackers. So, we’ve been all in trying to work on nutcrackers. His number one goal, he said ‘You will turn the town around if you have the biggest of something."

According to Dakota News Now, the large pole that will be used to support the structure is already currently in place on an 8-foot cement base, as is a pair of 14-foot tall boots that offer a glimpse of what is yet to come.

Once the statue is finished, it will be so large that motorists will be able to see it while traveling along Interstate 90 near Luverne.

The statue itself is currently being assembled in Salt Lake City. When finished, it will then be transported to Luverne sometime in the next few months.

Needless to say, the anticipation level for this massive Nutcracker statue is sky-high from Luverne residents and garden variety Nutcracker lovers worldwide.

Katie Walgrave, a member of the non-profit group called Just For Nuts, told Dakota News Now, "We have a ton of people that stop in who are vacationing and just cannot wait to see this nutcracker come out, they’re excited. They go down and visit the history center and then they get even more excited. They say we’re coming back next year, we can’t wait to see this finished."

Walgrave's family owns the land in Luverne where the Nutcracker statue will be erected. The massive nutcracker will stand near the gift shop they own called, "Those Blasted Things."

The Walgrave gift shop is located along U.S. 75, just off I-90 is not far from the Rock County History Center. It's been in existence since 2001 and is known for selling sandblasted stones, jewelry, fossils, lamps, glass items, and a variety of other things.

If construction goes as planned, this ginormous Nutcracker statue should be completed by the early spring of 2025.

Source: Dakota News Now