Minnesota, in a nutshell

They don't call it "The State of Hockey" for nothing, as evidenced by the United States Hockey Hall of Fame which is way, way up north in Eveleth, MN.

As I was looking for a place for dinner last night, I accidentally found the world's largest hockey stick. Honestly, I should have been a little more surprised than I actually was.

I have a few pictures here and here, with my favorite here.

The fact that there's a sign up in town that points you in the direction of The Big Stick is one of the most awesome things I've ever seen on a sign.

There appears to be a little rivalry going, with another "Largest Stick" in Canada and mentions of the new and old one in Minnesota - seems like someone had to up the ante to keep those Canucks in their place. The Minnesota one is also listed as the largest authentic stick - what justifies that distinction is beyond me.

Just to make the whole thing more complete for me, when you Google "Big Stick, Minnesota" you get a ton of stories about the state fair and the unnatural attraction to foods on a stick that probably shouldn't be.

These are the things I'll tell my children about.

(Image from IronRange.org)