Minnesota Town Unveils 66-Foot Nutcracker World Record

Luverne, Minnesota, population 5,000, now has 7,554 nutcrackers and the world's tallest one towering over the prairie at nearly 66 feet tall.

The town unveiled "Verne the Patriot" this July, a star-spangled Uncle Sam nutcracker that dwarfs Germany's 33-foot record holder. Best part? The jaw actually works.

The celebration drew hundreds of people to this southwestern Minnesota town for red, white and blue cookies and the big reveal. Since Verne's completion in mid-June, the local rock shop has seen customers quadruple, and other businesses report similar boosts.

But the real story behind Luverne's nutcracker obsession is about healing. In 2001, Betty Mann was grieving the recent deaths of her daughter and husband when she walked into a Cracker Barrel.

"I had a hard Christmas, and I've always wanted a wooden nutcracker," Mann, now 96, recalled. "I'm buying myself a belated Christmas present."

That first nutcracker sparked something. Mann's collection grew to more than 2,500 pieces before she donated them all to the town's historical society in 2016, hoping to bring joy to others.

The town caught the fever. Donations poured in until the collection reached 7,554 nutcrackers, officially outnumbering residents. No two are the same.

When tourism experts told the city they'd be "crazy" not to capitalize on this unique attraction, the idea for Verne was born. The $600,000 project was funded entirely through donations and grants, with pieces crafted in Utah and assembled on-site.

The Ripple Effect

John Hawkinson drove his wife Francine nearly 200 miles from Lakeville after a house fire destroyed her collection of almost 300 nutcrackers. Each one represented a memory: a sailor for his Navy service, matching bride and groom figures for their wedding.

"Betty started her collection as a way of dealing with grief," John said at the unveiling. "We came down here out of loss as well. I thought that was kind of a full circle moment."

The timing couldn't be better. Verne arrives as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, and Luverne hosts its annual "Nutcracker Fest" each summer, proving these holiday icons have year-round appeal.

Mayor Patrick Baustian says the goal was simple: create something different that people won't see anywhere else. Mission accomplished as visitors stream in from across the region.

One woman's grief became a town's pride, and now that pride stands 66 feet tall, welcoming travelers to find their own moments of joy.