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Mark memorable roadside attractions as monuments to the person who created them.
HIGHLAND, WI — There’s a dispute between Minnesota and Kansas over who has the biggest ball of twine, but across the bridge in Wisconsin, the heaviest ball of twine has just been moved to a new home. James Frank Kotera, the longtime creator of the world’s heaviest twine ball, passed away more than a year ago. The community he was a part of had just celebrated the nearly completion of a new home for the twine ball.
“I actually met Jim in 1980, when we moved here, and I think that’s when Jim was finally willing to talk to me,” said Jim’s neighbor at the time, now memorialized. said site organizer Terry Nelson. “Because he noticed that I had seen a ball of twine a long time ago. When we moved here, it was something special because he had seen it a long time ago, and he The fact that they were so proud of it was one of the reasons we had to make sure we kept it.”
It’s too bizarre not to take a look, but the world’s heaviest ball of twine is currently housed at Highland Town Hall. A feat that took James Frank Kotera, better known as Jim, 44 years to get here.
“He was a very eccentric person,” Nelson recalls. “But he was great and I loved talking to him.”
But after Jim passed away, it was the community that Jim loved that came together. After garnering national attention and receiving over $7,000 in donations, the people of Highland were able to relocate and build Jim’s twine ball shelter to preserve Jim’s memory.
“Two guys who lived in town actually came forward and paid to bring the ball here. And the donations we raised paid for the construction of the building.” said Nelson. “I couldn’t believe how strong it was when they moved it. I was holding my breath when they lifted it, because if they lifted it, it would (collapse) and fall. I was so nervous because I thought it was so hard. When they lifted it up, a little dust ball came out and I thought it was a joke that it was so hard.”
The project began in 1979, and the twine ball now stands 10 feet tall and 22 feet wide. Jim’s twine balls have attracted thousands of people in 46 states and his 15 countries.
“People would ask if they could weave twine in there, but he wouldn’t allow it,” Nelson recalls. “Because it wasn’t done by one man, so he wouldn’t leave a record like that.”
Today, we can feel Jim’s legacy continuing as people stop and look at one man’s accomplishments. Enjoying the simple and interesting things in life.
“Every time he got a piece of twine, he weighed the ball. He would put it in a bag, weigh the bag, and record the weight of the bag. Then he added that and told me how much everything weighed,” Nelson recalls.
“And he knows he’s put the Highlands on the map. Around here he’s in the Guinness Book of World Records, he knows the world news at home, he’s told a lot of people. “There aren’t many people who can say they’re being interviewed. He had a right to be proud,” Nelson said. “He would be so happy to know that his ball was still in front of people. He loved it when people saw that ball.”
Jim also made a small twine ball weighing 47 pounds and a ball of yarn to match the year he was born. Both can be seen at Highland City Hall, along with more memorabilia from Jim. Jim was 75 years old when he passed away last winter.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the cost of finishing the memorial attraction’s roof and signage. Click here to help us.
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