Cape Coral, Florida - Big John Statue

Cape Coral, Florida - Big John Statue

Big John history: My then husband, Craig, and his dad, John Hollinsworth, bought the existing grocery store in Cape Coral, Florida, in May 1969, named it Big John's, and commissioned the statue from John's grocery friend in Illinois in trade for a semi full of watermelons.

So the statue did not appear in 1966, but in 1969. The statue was trucked to Cape Coral in two pieces, the torso and the legs. During the trip, the truck misjudged the height of an overpass and the head went rolling down the highway! Wish I could have seen that! When it arrived in pieces, we flew in a "plastic surgeon" (actually a fiberglass specialist) to repair him on the spot. Made the headlines of the local paper! He was made a citizen of Cape Coral, and stayed after the store closed about 1986. [Patti Hollingsworth, 09/20/2005]

Cape Coral, Florida - Big John, Waltzing Waters reported uninjured in Florida hurricanes
After two hurricanes plowed through central Florida, we knew local news accounts would focus on the human and business losses before getting around to the fate of America's largest concentration of year-round tourist attractions. The early word we received on the Gulf coast was that most attractions were okay.... [09/06/2004] Complete News Story

Cape Coral, Florida - Big John

We all know him as BIG JOHN, here in Cape Coral. He used to hold two grocery bags, but since the Big John Grocery Store went out of business, he has assumed many disguises. He was last seen dressed as a ghost, for Halloween. He is pictured here with Andrea and her friends, who were all told that he was a distant relative. [Suzi Piscitelli, 05/20/1998]