Big Goofy Metal Bird
Rockford, Tennessee
Fans of recycled material folk art know that junk-anything can be turned into art-something. But it still requires a creative leap, like what happened when Bud Dietrich thought about what he could do with a derelict warehouse crane in a chemical plant he owned. It looked like a bird to him, so he turned it into Big Bird.
That was in 2004. Big Bird has been enhanced several times since then by both Bud and his employees. In 2017 it was moved closer to the plant, and a fence was built to keep overexcited visitors from climbing on it. Solar panels were also attached to Big Bird's wings so that its various body parts can light up in neon at night -- but usually only on holidays.