>> Jeyan: ONTARIO'S NATURAL SPLENDORS ARE MANY AND DIVERSE.
BUT THIS SUMMER, OUR ONTARIO HUBS PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON SOME OF THE WONDERS THAT AREN'T
NATURALLY OCCURRING.
HERE TO EXPLAIN, TVO.ORG EDITOR NATHANIEL BASEN FROM THE WEST END OF TORONTO. HEY, NAT.
>> Nathaniel: HI, JEYAN.
>> Jeyan: SO THE MESSAGING THIS SUMMER HAS BEEN TO VACATION LOCALLY. THAT'S THE MESSAGE HERE
IN THIS PROVINCE OF ONTARIO.
THE GOVERNMENT PROVIDED GRANTS TO TRAVEL AND TOURISM BUSINESSES TO HELP FACILITATE THAT. WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT THESE LANDMARKS.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE LANDMARKS BESIDES BEING THESE QUIRKY ATTRACTIONS ON THE
SIDE OF THE ROAD?
>> Nathaniel: YEAH.
SO OBVIOUSLY TVO.org EDITORS HAVE BEEN CROSSING THE PROVINCE LOOKING FOR THESE LARGE THINGS,
16 IN TOTAL, AND WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT THEM IS THAT THEY'RE ALL QUITE DIFFERENT, RIGHT?
SOME ARE ANIMALS, SOME ARE FOODSTUFFS, SOME ARE PUBLICLY OWNED, SOME ARE ON PRIVATE
BUSINESSES.
BUT THEY ALL TELL A SMALL STORY ABOUT THE REGION OR THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT IT.
WHAT WE'VE LEARNED IS THAT ALL OF THEM AT SOME POINT HAD SOMEONE WHO BADLY WANTED THEM
BUILT AND THOSE PEOPLE TEND TO HAVE PRETTY INTERESTING STORIES.
>> Jeyan: NOW, TVO.org HAS BEEN RUNNING A SERIES OF ARTICLES ABOUT THESE
ATTRACTIONS.
IT'S A GREAT SERIES.
IT IS CALLED THE ROADSIDE ATTRACTION SHOWDOWN.
GREAT TITLE FOR THAT.
AND OF COURSE OUR VIEWERS AND READERS CAN GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE LATER THIS MONTH ON
THEIR FAVOURITE.
I KNOW THIS HAS SPURRED SOME FRIENDLY COMPETITION AMONG THE WRITERS AND EDITORS.
CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF THE LANDMARKS THAT ARE GOING TO BE FEATURED?
>> Nathaniel: YEAH.
SO THEY'RE ALL ACROSS THE PROVINCE.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF, SOME THEY PROBABLY HAVEN'T.
THERE'S THE WAWA GOOSE, THE BIG NICKEL IN SUDBURY, OF COURSE, AND HUSKY THE MUSKIE IN KENORA,
A MAMMOTH CHEESE IN PERTH.
SO THEY REALLY KIND OF RUN THE GAMUT.
>> Jeyan: I UNDERSTAND NICK DUNNE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT THE BIG NICKEL AND HAS BEEN
ADVOCATING FOR THAT.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ONES YOU'VE WRITTEN ABOUT.
THIS IS THE PHOTO OF THE GIANT MUSKOKA CHAIR IN GRAVENHURST.
THIS ISN'T OBVIOUSLY THE FINISHED PRODUCT. I SEE TWO GUYS HERE BUT HOW BIG IS THIS CHAIR?
>> Nathaniel: SO THE CHAIR IS VERY LARGE.
IT IS MORE THAN 20 FEET TALL.
IT TOOK 800 FEET OF CEDAR AND 1400 SQUARE FEET OF PLYWOOD.
YOU SEE IT THERE IN THE WAREHOUSE.
IT HAD TO BE BUILT IN SECTIONS BECAUSE IT COULDN'T FIT ALL TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME.
>> Jeyan: VERY, VERY IMPRESSIVE.
THIS CHAIR ACTUALLY HAS A VERY INTERESTING STORY.
IT ACTUALLY HAS TO DO WITH -- I BELIEVE THE STORY STARTS WITH A SERIES OF TORNADOES.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
>> Nathaniel: YES, SO SOME PEOPLE MIGHT REMEMBER THAT ON AUGUST 20TH, 2009, 19 TORNADOES
TOUCHED DOWN IN ONTARIO AND PUT 10 MILLION PEOPLE UNDER A TORNADO WATCH.
ONE OF THOSE TORNADOES RIPPED THROUGH GRAVENHURST AND TORE UP A VERY LARGE BUT NOT GIANT
MUSKOKA CHAIR THAT BELONGED TO THE OWNER OF THE LOCAL HOME HARDWARE.
WHEN IT GOT DESTROYED, THE OWNER DECIDED HE WANTED TO BUILD IT BACK AND SO HE DID IT.
HE CALLED UP A PERSON HE WORKED WITH BEFORE CALLED CRAIG JOHNSON WHO WAS AN INMATE AT BEAVER
CREEK INSTITUTION NEARBY FOR A STRING OF BANK ROBBERIES AND HE SAID, CAN YOU BUILD ME THE
WORLD'S LARGEST CHAIR?
AND CRAIG SAID ABSOLUTELY.
AND SO EVERY DAY BETWEEN 8 AND 4, CRAIG WOULD LEAVE THE INSTITUTION, GO TO THE
WAREHOUSE, BUILD THE CHAIR, AND THEN GO HOME AT FOUR, YEAH.
>> Jeyan: NAT, YOU TALKED ABOUT CRAIG JOHNSON.
HOW PROUD IS HE TO SEE HIS GIANT MUSKOKA CHAIR?
>> Nathaniel: YEAH.
SO I SPOKE WITH CRAIG LAST WEEK.
HE'S STILL SERVING TIME.
HE'S REALLY PROUD.
HE LOVES THE IDEA OF SOMETHING WITH HIS NAME ATTACHED TO IT THAT IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE, AS
HE SAYS, WHEN YOU GOOGLE HIS NAME, ALL YOU REALLY SEE ARE NEGATIVES.
I THINK HE'S JUST REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE THAT ATTACHED TO HIS NAME FOR AS LONG AS IT LASTS.
>> Jeyan: I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS CHAIR ITSELF ORIGINALLY WAS OUTSIDE OF A HARDWARE STORE.
IT DOES HAVE A NEW LOCATION AS WELL.
SO IF SOMEONE IS IN THE AREA, WHERE CAN WE FIND IT?
>> Nathaniel: YEAH, IT'S BEEN MOVED TO THE PARKING LOT OF SAWDUST CITY BREWERIES.
YOU CAN GO AND HAVE A BREW AND SIT IN THE CHAIR.
>> Jeyan: A VERY, VERY STEEP SLOPE.
ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.
I WANT TO PULL UP ANOTHER PHOTO OF ANOTHER FAIRLY BIG ATTRACTION.
THIS IS BIG BRUCE.
HOW BIG IS THIS BOY HERE?
>> Nathaniel: BIG BRUCE IS PRETTY BIG.
20 FEET LONG, 15 FEET TALL, AND WEIGHS A HECK OF A LOT.
>> Jeyan: NOW, I UNDERSTAND -- I UNDERSTAND BIG BRUCE IS IN BRUCE COUNTY SO HE WAS PROBABLY
NAMED AFTER THAT.
I UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOME SIGNIFICANCE WITH THE FARMING INDUSTRY THERE AS WELL.
TELL US ABOUT THAT STORY.
>> Nathaniel: YEAH, SO A MAN BY THE NAME OF HARVEY DAVIS WHO WAS A WARDEN OF BRUCE COUNTY IN
THE 1970s WAS TRAVELLING IN THE STATES, PROBABLY WISCONSIN, BUT WE'RE NOT ENTIRELY SURE,
WHEN HE CAME ACROSS BIG BRUCE DOING SOMETHING THERE.
HE DECIDED I NEED TO HAVE THIS.
AND SO HE TALKED TO THE PERSON WHO OWNED THE BULL AND THEY SAID THEY'D PART WITH IT FOR A FEW
THOUSAND DOLLARS.
HE CAME BACK TO BRUCE COUNTY.
HE TALKED TO THE LOCAL CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION AND ASKED THEM IF THEY'D PAY FOR IT.
AT FIRST THEY WERE A LITTLE HESITANT, SO HE SAID, WHATEVER, I'LL BUY IT.
AND AT THAT POINT THE CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION CAVED AND BOUGHT IT.
THEY USED BIG BRUCE TO TOUR AROUND THE PROVINCE IN A GOLDEN TRAILER IN ADVANCE OF THE 1976
INTERNATIONAL PLOWING MATCH.
IT'S A FARMING EVENT THAT BRINGS 100,000 PEOPLE TO THE AREA.
>> Jeyan: I UNDERSTAND BIG BRUCE IS QUITE A FAN FAVOURITE.
THEY'VE ACTUALLY INTRODUCED -- I DON'T KNOW IF TWO COWS CREATES A HERD, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT NOW
THERE HAS BEEN AN ADDITION TO BIG BRUCE.
TELL US ABOUT THAT STORY.
>> Nathaniel: TWO BULLS, LET'S MAKE SURE WE'RE CLEAR ABOUT THAT -- IT DOESN'T MAKE A HERD.
HARVEY DIED IN 1980 AND HIS SON MARK ENDED UP BECOMING THE DEPUTY MAYOR.
FOR THE 2008 INTERNATIONAL PLOWING MATCH, THE COUNCIL COMMISSIONED LITTLE BRUCE, WHO
IS SMALLER, JUST 6 FEET TALL BUT STILL, YOU KNOW, LARGE, AND THEN AFTER THE CATTLE ASSOCIATION AND
THE PLOWING MATCH, THEY AUCTIONED IT OFF FOR JUST OVER $5,000 WITH THE PROCEEDS GOING
TO LOCAL CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS, AND MARK WITH THE PRODDING OF PRESENT FAMILY DECIDED TO BUY
IT.
SO NOW LITTLE BRUCE LIVES WITH HARVEY'S SON.
>> Jeyan: YOU'VE WRITTEN A FEW STORIES ABOUT SOME LANDMARKS AND YOU'VE ALSO GOT A CHANCE TO READ
SOME OF THE OTHERS.
IS THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU'VE LEARNED ABOUT SOME OF THESE ATTRACTIONS THAT YOU NEVER
THOUGHT OR SOME REALLY INTERESTING STORIES? I'M NOT GOING TO SHARE MY FAVOURITE
JUST YET BECAUSE I KNOW VOTING HASN'T STARTED YET. BUT ANYTHING INTERESTING THAT'S POPPED UP
FROM THE OTHER STORIES?
>> Nathaniel: YEAH, I MEAN THE BIGGEST THING FOR ME IS JUST THAT THEY'VE BEEN SURPRISINGLY
TOUCHING.
I JUST DIDN'T THINK THAT THEY WOULD BE SO SORT OF EMOTIONAL STORIES AND THEY ALL HAVE BEEN.
THEY OFTEN TELL THE STORIES OF JUST GREAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRIED TO MAKE THE PROVINCE BETTER AND
SO THAT'S BEEN REALLY NICE.
BUT, YEAH, IT'S GOTTEN PRETTY COMPETITIVE IN THE TEAM GROUP CHAT SO I'M GOING TO KEEP MY
INTENTIONS AND MY FAVOURITES PRIVATE.
>> Jeyan: I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET THE VOTING RIGHT.
VIEWERS AND READERS CAN VOTE AUGUST 30TH ON TVO.org ON THEIR FAVOURITE ROADSIDE
ATTRACTION SHOWDOWN.
I'VE GOT TO ASK SINCE YOU'VE SEEN AND READ ENOUGH ABOUT THESE LANDMARKS, HAVE YOU SEEN ANY OF
THESE LANDMARKS IN PERSON AND WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A GOOD ROADSIDE ATTRACTION.
IS THERE A CRITERIA?
>> Nathaniel: YES.
SO THESE LANDMARKS -- I'VE SEEN A LOT IN PERSON BUT NOT FOR PURPOSES OF THIS COMPETITION.
TO ME, THE BEST LANDMARKS ARE, ONE, THEY'VE GOT TO BE BIG, THEY'VE GOT TO BE HUGE, THAT'S
THEIR WHOLE THING.
AND THE MORE UNIQUE, THE BETTER.
I LIKE ANIMALS.
I LIKE THE MUSKIE AND I LIKE THE BULL AND OBVIOUSLY THE BACKSTORY IS A PLUS.
>> Jeyan: ALL RIGHT. WELL, WE'LL KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THAT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, NAT, FOR JOINING US TODAY.
>> Nathaniel: THANK YOU.