Small communities all over the rural Midwest are dying. Small community businesses are often finding themselves struggling to compete with large corporate America and online convenience. This is not the case with a small town in southeast Illinois. Casey, IL is breaking from the norm, thanks in large part, to the attractions the small town has to offer.

Thanks to Jim Bolin and Big Things Small Town, Casey is now a tourist attraction. Not only does Jim employ more than 250 people with his own business Bolin Enterprises, but he is also giving back to the community in a very unique way through Big Things Small Town. Since 2009, Jim has been the mastermind of creating several world records which helps bring visitors to Casey. 

When I asked Jim what inspires him to give back to the community, he said, "After Building the World’s Largest wind chime to help Whitling Whimsy café succeed. Our family saw the increase of traffic in our small town. That’s what inspired us to build more attractions. Now our town sees between 4,000 to 5,000 visitors per week during the traveling season. Our committee has pulled together to clean and fix-up buildings downtown and start new business/shops which creates more tax revenue. To answer your question, we didn’t want to see our town die like so many small communities around Illinois, at least not without a fight."

In addition to the world’s largest wind chime, which stands over 49 feet tall, Jim has created the world’s largest mailbox, which holds 5,743.41 cubic feet of mail, and the world’s largest rocking chair, which stands over 56’ tall and weighs in at more than 46,000 pounds. These are just a few of the eight current world records Jim Bolin has masterminded and then donated to various businesses around the community. In one of his three newest world record creations, he will be presenting the world’s largest twizzle spoon. 

The spoon is more than 11’6” long and was hot-dip galvanized. The coating allowed for Jim to get the aesthetics he was looking for as well as superior corrosion protection allowing for the spoon to last far beyond our lifetime. 

The spoon's unique look, size, and twist through the handle will definitely make it a tourist attraction. Once measured and confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest twizzle spoon, it will be donated to “Browns Place,” a bar and grill in downtown Casey. 

This will add another attraction to this small town and will bring even more outside business to the community. Jim Bolin and Big Things Small Town are truly an example of how creative ideas can help a small town survive and thrive.