Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau
ABILENE - At 19 feet 10 ½ inches wide and 13 feet 11 ¼ inches tall (not including the frame), the World’s Largest Belt Buckle is now at home in Abilene. Unveiled Wednesday at noon at Eisenhower Park, the project serves as a billboard celebrating Abilene.
Designed by local artist, Jason Lahr, Fluter’s Creek Metal Works, the buckle features Dwight D. Eisenhower, Wild Bill Hickok, Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Historic Seelye Mansion, C.W. Parker carousel horse, C.L. Brown telephone, a racing Greyhound and Chisholm Trail longhorn inlaid with blue quartz.
The buckle is a project of the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau which hopes the new roadside attraction will entice travelers to stop and visit the Best Historic Small Town.
“Whether you enjoy Cowboy history, art, fun photo opportunities or the world’s largest things, make sure to add the World’s Largest Belt Buckle to your Kansas I-70 road trip,” said Julie Roller Weeks, Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau director.
The project is funded by a Kansas Tourism Attraction Development Grant and from donations from 100 businesses and individuals. The buckle garnered nationwide attention when Jefferson White, a.k.a. “Jimmy” from the hit tv show Yellowstone shared about the project.
Earlier this month, True West Magazine also named Abilene the recipient of its Readers’ Choice Best Promotion of a Historic Place award.