Fitzgerald Chicken Topiary

{{Infobox monument|name=Fitzgerald chicken topiary|location=Fitzgerald, Georgia, United States|weight={{Convert|19.5|ST|t}}|height={{Convert|62|ft|m}}|begin=2019|material=Steel}}

The Fitzgerald chicken topiary is an under-construction topiary in Fitzgerald, Georgia, United States. Construction began in 2019 and largely stalled in 2022, leaving a metal frame. Standing at approximately {{Convert|62|ft|m}} tall, it is the largest structure of a chicken in the world and, when complete, will be the world's tallest topiary.

History

Fitzgerald, Georgia is a small city in the southern part of the state with a population of about 9,000.{{Cite news|date=May 31, 2021|title=Construction of 62-Foot Chicken Underway in South Georgia|work=U.S. News & World Report|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|access-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531162104/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|archive-date=May 31, 2021}} The town is noted for its population of wild Burmese chickens that live in and around the main part of the city.{{Cite news|date=November 20, 2021|title=Georgia voters say no to building one of the world's largest chicken-shaped topiary|language=en|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/11/20/1057619745/ga-chicken-t-c|access-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230231737/https://www.npr.org/2021/11/20/1057619745/ga-chicken-t-c|archive-date=December 30, 2021}}{{Cite web|last=Stroud|first=Emily|date=January 7, 2020|title=Giant topiary chicken gives small town something to crow about|url=https://www.wbir.com/article/features/georgia-town-seeks-expertise-of-topiary-joe-kyte-in-tennessee-to-build-a-giant-topiary-chicken/51-a160582b-44bb-49a0-9814-b83fe14bf62f|access-date=December 31, 2021|website=WBIR-TV|language=en-US}} In 2019, city leaders announced the creation of a large topiary in the shape of a chicken as a way to attract tourism to the city.{{Cite news|date=May 31, 2021|title=Construction of 62-Foot Chicken Underway in South Georgia|work=U.S. News & World Report|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|access-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531162104/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|archive-date=May 31, 2021}} The project was spearheaded by Mayor Jim Puckett, who said the roadside attraction could target drivers on the nearby Interstate, which is a 20-minute drive from the city.{{Cite news|date=November 20, 2021|title=Georgia voters say no to building one of the world's largest chicken-shaped topiary|language=en|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/11/20/1057619745/ga-chicken-t-c|access-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230231737/https://www.npr.org/2021/11/20/1057619745/ga-chicken-t-c|archive-date=December 30, 2021}} The project was announced in 2019, and while it was initially planned to be completed by later that year,{{Cite web|last=Poitevint|first=Bobby|date=October 21, 2019|title=Giant topiary chicken in Fitzgerald expected to break records|url=https://www.walb.com/2019/10/22/giant-topiary-chicken-fitzgerald-expected-break-records/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205221006/https://www.walb.com/2019/10/22/giant-topiary-chicken-fitzgerald-expected-break-records/|archive-date=December 5, 2021|access-date=December 31, 2021|website=WALB|language=en}} the project experienced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the designer of the topiary (Tennessee-based topiary artist Topiary Joe) having to take time off to recover from surgery.{{Cite news|date=May 31, 2021|title=Construction of 62-Foot Chicken Underway in South Georgia|work=U.S. News & World Report|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|access-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531162104/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|archive-date=May 31, 2021}} By May 2021, work was completed on the steel skeletal structure of the topiary, with a total of weight of about {{Convert|19.5|ST|t}} and a height of about {{Convert|62|ft|m}} tall.{{refn|Given as {{convert|64|ft|m}} in one source.|group=note}}{{Cite news|date=May 31, 2021|title=Construction of 62-Foot Chicken Underway in South Georgia|work=U.S. News & World Report|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|access-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531162104/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|archive-date=May 31, 2021}} In addition, the bottom of the structure would contain a room that tourists could rent out as a honeymoon suite or a bed and breakfast.{{Cite news|date=May 31, 2021|title=Construction of 62-Foot Chicken Underway in South Georgia|work=U.S. News & World Report|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|access-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531162104/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2021-05-31/construction-of-62-foot-chicken-underway-in-south-georgia|archive-date=May 31, 2021}}{{Cite web|last=Blumberg|first=Perri Ormont|date=February 13, 2020|title=Fitzgerald, Georgia Will Soon Be Home to the Largest Topiary Sculpture in the World—in the Shape of a Chicken!|url=https://www.southernliving.com/news/local-news/fitzgerald-georgia-topiary-joe-chicken-sculpture|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018201144/https://www.southernliving.com/news/local-news/fitzgerald-georgia-topiary-joe-chicken-sculpture|archive-date=October 18, 2020|access-date=December 31, 2021|website=Southern Living|publisher=Southern Progress Corporation|language=en}} With the completion of the skeleton, local television station WMAZ-TV called it "the world's largest chicken",{{Cite web|last=Lawler|first=Suzanne|date=November 30, 2021|title=Bye Bye Birdie: Future of Fitzgerald's giant metal chicken unclear|url=https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/weird/fitzgerald-mayors-unseated-giant-chicken-topiary/93-66989756-953d-422c-9611-3121b9a1a46f|access-date=December 31, 2021|website=WMAZ-TV|language=en-US}} while NPR stated that the finished project would be "the largest topiary in the world".

Construction of the topiary was paid for by a special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) that had been directed towards tourism. While the initial cost for the project was expected to be $150,000, the cost eventually rose to over twice this amount. While Mayor Puckett defended the spending as an investment in tourism that would deliver a strong return on investment (noting that the chicken project had been covered on the front page of The Wall Street Journal twice since it was announced), others in the city were opposed to the spending, and, according to NPR, the mayoral elections in November 2021 served as a "giant chicken referendum". Puckett lost reelection, with about 91 percent of voters voting against him,{{Cite web|last=Mazhar|first=Mehek|date=November 26, 2021|orig-date=November 24, 2021|others=Interview by Chris Trowbridge|title=Georgia politician stands by giant topiary chicken that got him ousted as mayor|url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-wednesday-edition-1.6261125/georgia-politician-stands-by-giant-topiary-chicken-that-got-him-ousted-as-mayor-1.6261128|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208211722/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-wednesday-edition-1.6261125/georgia-politician-stands-by-giant-topiary-chicken-that-got-him-ousted-as-mayor-1.6261128|archive-date=December 8, 2021|access-date=December 31, 2021|website=CBC Radio|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}} and following this, the city council put a freeze on new spending for the project until the newly elected mayor took office in January 2022.

Work on the topiary restarted in January 2024. Current construction on the sculpture aims to complete the metal framing and illuminate the chicken at night. Plans to envelop the metal frame with greenery are yet to be implemented.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-03 |title=Fitzgerald's world's largest chicken project is back |url=https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/fitzgeralds-worlds-largest-chicken-project-is-back/93-66474805-15e0-4437-a3a9-d895c7c43060 |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=WMAZ |language=en-US}}

Fitzgerald Chicken Topiary

History

See also

Notes

References

Further reading