Georgia’s Big Peanut is back.
The roadside landmark along Interstate 75 in South Georgia was rededicated Thursday, nearly five years after an earlier version was destroyed by Hurricane Michael winds.
This time the giant goober is made of tin and not fiberglass.
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It is a symbol of pride in the heart of South Georgia’s peanut belt and an enticement for tourists to veer off the highway in the small town of Ashburn.
The Ashburn-Turner County Chamber of Commerce raised nearly $80,000 to replace the giant peanut that had welcomed motorists since 1975 until it was blown up on October 10, 2018. Most of the money came from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, although Turner County residents also raised thousands.
The peanut on a brick pedestal symbolizes the county of 9,000 people, which is halfway between Macon and the Florida state line.
“I think it represents home,” said Rebecca Miller, the chamber’s executive director. “I know it’s a small town, but when you say, ‘Did you see the peanut?’ It’s me.”
She said it was also a worthy tribute to the peanut farmers in a county where almost everyone is touched by farming.
Community leaders spent about $70,000 to replace the peanut and kept the remaining money for upkeep. They hired Cole Sercer of Sercer Machine & Fabrication in nearby Rebecca to make the new peanut.
Sercer said he and his associates modeled the new nut on the remains of the nut destroyed by the hurricane. But it’s made differently, with a metal rod and frame inside and dozens of custom-made sheet metal panels that form the mother’s curving shell. Underneath is a gold crown with an aluminum frame and yellow plastic panels. The peanut is painted a brown and beige architectural color and is now illuminated by LED lights at night for a modern touch.
According to Sercer, it took workers a total of 700 to 800 hours to build the landmark, which weighs around 5,000 pounds. From the bottom of the brick pole to the top of the peanut, the landmark is more than 40 feet tall, according to Sercer.
Sercer said his company does “a little bit of everything,” including customizing trucks and ATVs, but it also works on farm equipment and in peanut processing plants.
Next up is making the Big Peanut more inviting in the social media age. Miller said Austin Kutcher and Mila Kunis once took a selfie with the previous giant goober and she plans to set up a “selfie spot” so tourists can see the new Big Peanut from the best perspective.
