Love of Country, Within Reason (and a Big Nutcracker)

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Sarah Raza's photo: ribbon-cutting ceremony for Verne the Patriot in Luverne, Minnesota. (July 18, 2026) via Associated Press
“People gather for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Verne the Patriot in Luverne, Minn.”
(AP Photo/Sarah Raza (July 18, 2026))

"A Minnesota town now boasts the world's tallest nutcracker"
Sarah Raza, AP (July 18, 2026)

"Crossing the open farmland of southwestern Minnesota, you'll encounter an otherworldly sight: a massive head with a beard, mustache and red-striped top hat looming over the horizon.

Pull into the small town of Luverne and the figure — a nearly 66-foot (20-meter) tall nutcracker, decked out like Uncle Sam — comes into full view...."

I've never been to Luverne, Minnesota, and will probably never go there.

But I've seen other oversize statues in my home state: Rothsay's prairie chicken, Alexandria's viking, Paul Bunyan in Bemidji, Belgrade's crow, and "Pelican Pete: World's Largest Pelican" in Pelican Rapids.

One of these days I may talk about roadside attractions in the Midwest. But not today....

More at A Catholic Citizen in America.

(Luverne, Minnesota, has 60-foot nutcracker dressed like Uncle Sam. I link to an AP article, and talk about reasonable patriotism.)

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