Big things from Alberta
Maybe you already know? Along Canadian roads are several “Big Things,” or “grosses choses” in French, that is, giant structures with strange themes and in the category of “I’m the biggest in the world.” The phenomenon has become so widespread that someone has even gone to the trouble of making a website which lists and organizes them by province (www.bigthings.ca). That said, it is possible to find some in almost every territory and province.
When my mother became aware of the phenomenon, she set herself the challenge of photographing as many Big Things as possible, starting with the province of Alberta, where we currently live. So here are our first shots:
Drumheller’s Tyrannosaurus Rex
Drumheller is unquestionably Alberta’s dinosaur capital with its paleontology museum which contains the largest collection of fossils in Canada. So it went without saying that Drumheller’s Big Thing would be shaped like a dinosaur. Impossible to miss, the reproduction of a large 65-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex is four times the size of a real specimen. It measures 25 metres (86 feet). It is even possible to climb steps inside to admire the landscape from his mouth for the small price of $ 4 per person, free for children under 5 years and $ 10.50 for a family.
Donalda Oil Lamp
The interest in an oil lamp becomes more and more intense when you see this enormous 13-meter (42 feet) tall structure in the small municipality of 259 inhabitants named Donalda. Landscaping with a small pool of water and flowers brighten up the huge piece of red iron. What is interesting is that you can enter and find a small exhibition of works of art representing the municipality at different times. Opposite, the Donalda Museum boasts a collection of 1 100 oil lamps as well as other exhibits on local history and the Métis.
Pysanka Egg From Vegreville
Included are 3500 aluminum pieces forming 1108 equilateral triangles in this artwork by the artist of Ukrainian descent Paul Maxum Sembaliuk. The egg is placed in a beautiful park where giant elk roam freely. Around the egg, interpretation panels teaches us more about Ukrainian culture
The Mundare Sausage
The 42-foot sausage, located in front of a gas station in Mundare in the east of the province, is a bit weird. Firstly, because when you see it, you wonder what that strange big red tube is. Then, one wonders about why one would want a sausage sculpture. The strong presence of Ukrainians in the region accounts for its existence. Members of the community set up the Stawnichy’s butcher shop more than 60 years ago and has become known and recognized thanks to the production of its famous sausage! And it was thought a good idea to commemorate that!
Marker Lloydminster
Delineating the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan, which is located in the centre of the main street of this town, the four red 30-meter tall (100 feet) steel structures symbolize the 4th Meridian which makes the border. The people of the city live on Alberta’s time and pay only one tax, but they comply to Saskatchewan laws and follow the Saskatchewan education system.
