Tiny Cawker City, Kansas, is home to the world’s largest ball of twine. It was dedicated to the city in 1961 by the creator of the ball, Frank Stoeber. Stoeber began his mission in 1953. After four years, his prodigious ball of twine grew to eight feet tall and weighed over 5,000 pounds.

Over time, Stoeber’s ball became part of the Cawker City community. Throughout Cawker City, businesses honor the ball of twine with paintings and murals. Sidewalks in the town are painted with a twine stripe path that leads to the site of the world’s largest twine ball. Even windows depict recreations of the story of Frank Stoeber and his ball of twine! Every year, Cawker City holds a “twine-a-thon” in August, where people can visit the giant ball and add their own twine to the creation. The ball continues to grow as each twine-a-thon is held, although there is twine ball competition in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Missouri. In September of 2013, the Cawker City ball of twine was reported to weigh almost twenty thousand pounds. It is one of the most popular attractions in all of Kansas.