Bolin, the creator of “Big Things in a Small Town”, died in January 2026 (Guinness world records photos)

A small Illinois town found a new way to attract visitors when businessman Jim Bolin built a giant wind chime. Over the years, businessman Bolin turned that idea into a collection of oversized everyday objects that made Casey known for its unusual attractions.Bolin, the creator of ‘Big Things in a Small Town’, died in January 2026 after sustaining injuries during a snowmobile trip, according to Guinness World Records. His company, Bolin Enterprises, described him as a man with ‘unwavering devotion to his family’ and ‘genuine friendship to all’.Bolin’s project had started years earlier when Casey was struggling to attract visitors. The town, located off Interstate 70 between Effingham and Terre Haute, Indiana, was like many other small communities in the area. Bolin and his family wanted to open a tea shop, but there were not enough people stopping in the town.In 2012, Bolin built what was described as the world’s largest wind chime. The idea was inspired by memories of listening to his grandmother’s wind chime on her porch. His experience in the pipeline construction business also meant he already had access to some of the parts needed for the project.

Wind chime changed Casey

The wind chime became the starting point for something much larger. Casey residents and leaders followed the idea and began adding more oversized objects to the town.The attractions included a giant pitchfork, golf tee, mailbox, rocking chair, golf club, barber’s pole, teeter-totter and other objects. Some were not record holders, but were still large enough to attract visitors.By 2019, NPR Illinois reported that the town had more than six attractions holding world records, while two others had already been surpassed. Another 10 attractions were large but did not hold records.Deb Bohannon, who helped market tourism in Casey, said the project had helped rejuvenate the community, which had around 3,000 residents at the time. She said the town had seen more than 1,500 people in a single weekend.

Pitchforks, golf tees, mailboxes and rocking chairs are among the town’s six-plus record-holding attractions.

21 giant objects

Guinness World Records later documented the scale of Bolin’s work. Over about 15 years, he collected 12 Guinness World Records titles for 21 different objects.Among them was the largest wind chime, measuring 49 feet (14.94 metres) tall. The project also included the longest seesaw or teeter-totter, measuring 82 feet (25.01 metres), and the largest rocking chair, which stood 56 feet 1 inch (17.09 metres) tall.The objects were not simply large decorations. Many of them were designed to work or allow visitors to interact with them.The giant wind chime can clang when the wind moves through it. Visitors can climb inside the enormous pair of clogs. The giant mailbox has a staircase inside, allowing people to reach the box and see a mail history museum.The mailbox also has a giant flag that can be raised and lowered when mail is deposited. These features were created to make the objects part of the visitor experience rather than simply things to look at.

Records changed town

The impact of the project was visible in the attention Casey received from visitors and the media. Photographs and videos of its oversized objects spread, while the Guinness World Records titles gave the town another reason to attract tourists.“These world records have just changed our town tremendously,” Bolin told Guinness World Records in 2016.Bohannon said Casey residents looked at what other towns were doing, then tried to adapt those ideas for their own community.“If you can get the community leaders together and say ok this is where we are at today and this is where we want to be tomorrow. Now how do we get there?” she said.She also stressed that the change did not happen immediately. “It didn’t happen overnight,” Bohannon said. “It took one initiative and one person to start it. It took the whole community to back it.”

‘Absolute legend’

Guinness World Records described Bolin as an “absolute legend”, a “genuine pleasure to work with” and the “King of the Big Stuff”.Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday also remembered the businessman after his death.“I always loved seeing how his record-breaking builds brought so much joy to the world!” Glenday said. “Jim showed us all how just one person can make a difference. In his case, a big difference.”