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The Big Apple is a
The Big Apple was conceived by George Boycott, an Australian immigrant to Canada who took inspiration from the 
In 2013, a cartoon face was painted on the Big Apple. In April 2020, amid the
In addition to the apple structure, the Big Apple contains a dine-in restaurant, a pie factory, a souvenir store, a petting zoo, an amusement park (for small children), a miniature golf course, and an outdoor picnic area. The Big Apple hosts more than 500,000 visitors per year and sells 2,000 pies per week, and has sold over 7.9 million pies since its initial opening.
roadside attraction
A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than being a destination. They are frequently advertised with billboard (advertis ...
in Colborne, a village in the municipality of Cramahe, in Northumberland County, Ontario
Northumberland County is a county situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, east of Toronto in Central Ontario, Canada. The Northumberland County headquarters are located in Cobourg.
Municipalities
Northumberland County consists of seven m ...
, Canada. Located on the south side of Ontario Highway 401
King's Highway 401, commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one, is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access 400-series hig ...
at interchange 497 (Northumberland County Road 25/Percy Street), it is easily recognizable from the highway by its large apple-shaped structure, claimed to be the world's largest.
History
The Big Apple was conceived by George Boycott, an Australian immigrant to Canada who took inspiration from the Big Pineapple
The Big Pineapple is a heritage-listed tourist attraction and Big things (Australia), big thing at Nambour Connection Road, Woombye, Queensland, Woombye, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Peddle Thorp and Harv ...
in Sunshine Coast Region
The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name.
It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires o ...
, Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
. Boycott sold the six pizza shops he owned in Australia and moved to Colborne in 1976, the village being one of the largest apple-producing areas in Ontario. Boycott sold real estate in Ontario to fund the construction of the Big Apple. In 1983 he met Henry Mensen, a local builder, with whom Boycott planned the construction of the Big Apple over the next five years.
The Big Apple opened in 1987, with its construction costs covered through a combination of a government loan and investment by Doug Rutherford, the owner of a local trucking company. Boycott sold his stake in the Big Apple in 1992, and began to pursue a career in real estate and local politics; he served in several government positions over the subsequent fourteen years, including as the final reeve of Colborne prior to its amalgamation with Cramahe in 2001.
In 2013, a cartoon face was painted on the Big Apple. In April 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario was a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Canada w ...
, the Big Apple donated hundreds of apple pies to hospital workers. In July 2020, a face mask
The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...
was hung on the Big Apple in a show of support for front-line workers.
Operations
The primary attraction of the Big Apple is the eponymous Big Apple, a tall, wide apple-shaped structure named "Mr. Applehead". The Big Apple claims to be the largest apple-shaped structure in the world. The structure contains apple-based trivia in its interior, and an observation deck on its roof. The structure weighs 42 tonnes, and can purportedly hold 650,000 apples.
In addition to the apple structure, the Big Apple contains a dine-in restaurant, a pie factory, a souvenir store, a petting zoo, an amusement park (for small children), a miniature golf course, and an outdoor picnic area. The Big Apple hosts more than 500,000 visitors per year and sells 2,000 pies per week, and has sold over 7.9 million pies since its initial opening.
See also
*Peachoid
The Peachoid is a tall water tower in Gaffney, South Carolina, U.S., that resembles a peach. The water tower holds one million U.S. gallons (3.78541 million litres) of water and is located off Peachoid Road by Interstate 85 in South Carolina, I ...
* The Big Orange
* The Big Apple (Waitomo)
References
External links
* {{coord, 44, 01, 20, N, 77, 54, 20, W, region:CA-ON_type:landmark_source:GoogleEarth, display=title Roadside attractions in Canada Restaurants in Ontario Bakeries of Canada Buildings and structures in Northumberland County, Ontario Novelty buildings in Canada Tourist attractions in Northumberland County, Ontario Apples