In 1989, Ken Nyberg seemed like just an average guy. He worked in construction, and in his spare time, he would make little sculptures out of scrap metal, such as an arboreal "family tree," or a dog. Then he decided to build an 11-foot-tall human foot.
"I wanted to make something bigger and better," Ken explained. "And I thought, 'A Big Foot. There couldn't be many of them around. I'd hate to make something that there's a lot of already.'"
Ken worked on Big Foot in secret for over two years. "My wife didn't even know," he said. "I was a little afraid to say anything to anybody. Building a big foot -- you gotta be crazy."
Decades have passed since Ken made Big Foot, and his tiny hometown of Vining (pop. 78) has gradually become an outdoor gallery for his metal art.
Watermelon
2003
1000 lb
Elephant
2004
2500 lb
Some of his sculptures, such as a life-size elephant made of lawn mower blades, took Ken hundreds of hours to hammer and weld.
Flower Pot
2000
1000 lb
Shop Helper
2001
210 lb
Elk
2002
800 lb
Square Knot
1992
1300 lb
Coffee Cup
1995
1000 lb
Indian and pony
completed 1996
400 lb
BigFoot
completed 1991
1240 lbs
One of the sculptures in Nyberg Park is of Ken's daughter Karen, a NASA astronaut who's flown two missions to the International Space Station.
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