Minnesota
Luverne, Minnesota’s 65-foot nutcracker, may be the tallest in the world
LUVERNE, Minn. (FOX 9) – There’s a new giant in town, and it’s turning heads and bringing the world to Luverne.
Luverne unveils a record-breaking nutcracker statue to attract visitors
What we know:
Towering 65 feet above a rock shop near the edge of town, Luverne’s new nutcracker statue is believed to be the tallest in the world—almost twice as tall as the current record holder.
“We know he’s the tallest because he is almost twice as tall as the current world record holder,” said Katie Walgrave, who designed the statue.
The nutcracker was finished a couple of weeks ago and has already drawn visitors from as far as Wales and China.
“This week we’ve had people from Wales. We had people from China last week,” said Walgrave.
The statue sits just a block from the interstate, with the goal of enticing travelers to stop and explore Luverne instead of driving past on I-90.
“We’ve just needed something to pull people off the interstate before they get to Sioux Falls or something like that. It’s basically we’re trying to mine the interstate,” said Vance Walgrave, owner of Those Blasted Things.
Since the nutcracker’s arrival, local businesses have seen a surge in visitors.
“The people coming in here were double and triple the amount of people. Just overnight, all of a sudden, we were going, did we create a monster?” said Vance Walgrave.
‘If you build it, they will come’
The backstory:
The idea for the giant nutcracker came after city leaders wanted a new attraction, something even more unique than the area’s previous claim to fame — a herd of bison at Blue Mounds State Park. A marketing consultant suggested something that would truly stand out.
Betty Mann, who has the second-largest collection of nutcrackers in the United States, played a big role in inspiring the project. Mann has collected over 7,000 nutcrackers since 2001, enough to fill two rooms at the Rock County Historical Society and outnumber the residents of Luverne.
“I bought my first nutcracker in 2001, and if you’d have told me then that this was all going to happen, I would have told you, ‘You’re crazy,’ because I had no clue. This just exploded, and there was really nothing I could do to stop it,” said Mann.
Mann donated her collection to the historical society, and she hopes the new statue will bring even more people to see what Luverne has to offer.
“It brings people to Laverne to see what we have. And then you’ll see all the good things that we have in our museum here. And that was my intent,” said Mann.
The city is planning an official ribbon cutting for the nutcracker in a couple of weeks. Anyone who donates $20 to the statue maintenance fund will get a chance to name the new resident.
“I’ve been hearing nutty a lot, but we’ll see,” said Vance Walgrave.
For many in Luverne, the nutcracker is more than just a statue — it’s a symbol of community pride and a way to put the town on the map.
“Anytime you see something weirdly big or weirdly small, we’re going to be interested in it. So if we can have something weirdly big that brings people off of the interstate and off of the highway and from all over the world, we are going to do it,” said Katie Walgrave.
The nutcracker joins other Minnesota record-holders, such as the largest ice maze and the tallest family, adding to the state’s reputation for quirky, oversized attractions.
Local perspective:
Residents are excited to see their town getting attention for something so unique.
“I just love that we’re doing something big for the community that everybody can benefit from,” said Katie Walgrave.
The nutcracker has already made an impact, with local shops and museums reporting more visitors and a renewed sense of excitement around town.
“Oh, they’re just kind of whimsical. There’s really nothing much to like about them. It just, some of them are kind of goofy looking and some of the are really a work of art,” said Mann.
‘It’s just the visual effect of it’
Why you should care:
Luverne’s giant nutcracker is not just a roadside oddity — it’s a new reason for travelers to stop, explore, and support a small Minnesota community. The project shows how creativity and a bit of whimsy can help put a town on the map and bring people together.
The upcoming ribbon cutting and naming contest offer a chance for everyone to get involved, whether they’re locals or visitors just passing through.
The Source: This story uses information gathered by FOX 9 reporter Maury Glover.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed goaltender Calvin Pickard to a one-year, $1,000,000 contract for the 2026-27 season.
Pickard, 34 (4/15/92), has appeared in 191 career games (157 starts) over parts of 11 NHL seasons with the Colorado Avalanche (2014-17), Toronto Maple Leafs (2017-18), Philadelphia Flyers (2018), Arizona Coyotes (2018-19), Detroit Red Wings (2019-22) and Edmonton Oilers (2023-26), owning a 74-77-14 record with a 2.96 goals-against average (GAA), .901 save percentage (SV%), and five shutouts. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound native of Moncton, New Brunswick, has also played in 13 career Stanley Cup Playoff games (nine starts) across two postseason appearances with Edmonton (2024, 2025), posting an 8-2 record with a 2.72 GAA and .892 SV%.
Pickard tallied a 5-6-2 record with a 3.68 GAA and .871 SV% in 16 games (13 starts) with Edmonton in 2025-26 while also appearing in eight games for the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he recorded a 4-3-1 record with a 3.26 GAA, .886 SV% and one shutout. He has posted a 161-117-61 record, 2.66 GAA, .913 SV% and 21 shutouts in 329 career AHL games across 13 seasons with Lake Erie (2011-15), San Antonio (2015-16), Toronto (2017-18), Tucson (2018-19), Grand Rapids (2019-22) and Bakersfield (2022-26). He owns a 1-2 record, 2.01 GAA and .925 SV% five career Calder Cup Playoff Games and helped the Toronto Marlies win the Calder Cup in 2018.
Pickard represented Canada at the 2010 IIHF Under-18 World Championship and the 2016 and 2017 IIHF World Championships, winning a silver medal in 2017. He was originally selected by Colorado in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft.
Flex, 11-Game, half and full season memberships are available for purchase. Please visit tickets.wild.com or contact a Wild Ticket Sales Representative by calling or texting (651) 222-WILD (9453) for more information. Group reservations of eight or more tickets can place a deposit now, contact [email protected] for more information. Deposits are now accepted for single game suite rentals, contact [email protected] for more information. Pricing and on-sale dates for Minnesota Wild 2026-27 preseason and regular-season single-game tickets will be announced later this summer.
Follow @mnwildPR on X and visit www.wild.com/pressbox for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, player interviews and daily statistics.
What to know about PCBs and their impact on the Great Lakes, Wisconsin
PCBs are a class of more than 200 chemicals that are known to cause cancer.
An invasive shrimp is swimming in Lake Superior. This is the last Great Lake to be invaded — all five Great Lakes now are infested by the crustaceans..
Researchers for the first time have confirmed a breeding population of an invasive Black Sea-native shrimp in Lake Superior.
The number and extent of the shrimp’s spread in Lake Superior is not clear. However, there is a breeding population in the Duluth.
The findings by researchers at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Lake Superior Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin Superior, and the Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York, published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research in April, found that the shrimp are now reproducing and surviving year-round in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, the farthest west the European species has been confirmed.
“Samples we collected in 2025 from two locations in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, a major inland shipping port in the Great Lakes, contained juveniles, adult males, and (pregnant or with young) adult females, indicating a self-sustaining population. Additionally, we document earlier evidence from 2018 samples we collected in the harbor that contained two juvenile specimens,” the article in the Journal said.
In an interview on the CBC’s “Superior Morning” show with Mary-Jane Cormier on June 10, lead researcher Donn Branstrator, of the University of Minnesota, said studies in the Duluth-Superior Harbor this spring after ice was off the lake found adult males and females.
“It’s pretty clear evidence of overwintering,” Branstrator told Cormier. “It would be very unlikely for the population to extinguish (at this point).”
Branstrator told Cormier ongoing bi-weekly research in the harbor, and along the Lake Superior shoreline will exam those questions.
According to the research, the non-native shrimp, about a quarter to half inch long, were first detected in the lower Great Lakes in 2006 in lakes Michigan and Ontario. By 2008, they were found in lakes Huron and Erie as well.
“It has also spread to Oneida and Seneca Lakes in New York … as well as the St. Lawrence River and various canals in northern New York State,” the research said.
Branstrator said the Black and Caspian sea region natives, also have spread throughout Europe into areas they were not native. He said they likely hitchhiked with ballast or bilge water, but the exact mechanism will never be known.
What we know about bloody red shrimp.
What is a bloody red shrimp?
Bloody red shrimp are small crustaceans native to the Black Sea and Caspian Sea region of Europe. They are adapted for fresh and brackish water.
This freshwater shrimp can be ivory-yellow in color or translucent, but exhibits pigmented red pigment cells in the carapax and tail, according to the USGS.
The quarter to half inch long shrimp feed on both phytoplankton and zooplankton at various stages of life.
While relatively small, they are among the larger creatures in the Great Lakes feeding on those food sources.
“They are very large bodied, at the upper end of what we consider zooplankton,” Branstrator said.
Branstrator said the shrimp live in near-shore environments and like to hide in crevices during the day, making use of dock pilings, breakwaters and other human-made structures.
They come out at night and “swarm” together in groups of up to 135 per square foot, the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant said.
Bloody red shrimp have a lifespan of about nine months, grow to adults in just 45 days, and an produce up to four generations per year. Females have been documented to carry up to 66 eggs in a clutch. Broods carried by females in the Muskegon population ranged from two to seven.
Where have the shrimp been found?
The shrimp have spread throughout Europe and now have been found in all five Great Lakes, as well as some locations away from the lakes.
The recent study found a breeding population in the Duluth, Minnesota, harbor, the first in Lake Superior.
According to the research, the non-native shrimp, about a quarter to half inch long, were first detected in the lower Great Lakes in 2006 in lakes Michigan (near Muskegon) and Ontario. By 2008, they were found in lakes Huron and Erie as well.
A single specimen was found in Duluth in 2017, and two were found in 2018. It wasn’t until 2025 that the researchers found a sustaining population when they captured 81 individuals.
How did the shrimp arrive in the Great Lakes?
The shrimp likely hitched a ride in the ballast water of ocean-going vessels, although Branstrator noted during an interview on CBC’s “Superior Morning” that we will never know for certain.
He added that the shrimp have multiple opportunities to hitch rides with vessels during the shipping season.
What impact will the shrimp have on Lake Superior and the Great Lakes?
Branstrator said that question hasn’t been answered. They feed on the same sources as other water-dwelling creatures, but they are large enough that small fish may find them to be a new food source.
Are any shrimp native to the Great Lakes?
The opossom shrimp is a Great Lakes native and looks similar to the bloody red shrimp.
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