On July 7th, 2011, Canada Post began issuing a new set of four stamps in its ‘Canadian Roadside Attractions’ series. This series began in 2009 and continues to delight with its bright colours and fun facts about travelling along Canadian roadways. This year’s entries are: The World’s Largest Lobster, The Wild Blueberry, The Big Potato and The Giant Squid.
The World’s Largest Lobster
Located in Shediac, New Brunswick, the world’s largest lobster is built of concrete and steel and measures over 10 metres long and 5 metres high. It was constructed to attract tourists to this small town, a novelty idea that paid off. Over half a million people visit the great lobster every year! Every July this town hosts the Shediac Lobster Festival, a tribute to the industry which put it on the map.
The Wild Blueberry
In Oxford, Nova Scotia you can spot a giant blueberry on the horizon! Located in front of a gas station, this bright, smiling blueberry greets everyone arriving to the town. It is almost 2.5 metres high and over 3 metres wide. Its steel and cement frame weighs in at eight tons. Oxford is considered the blueberry capital of Canada and every summer the town hosts the Wild Blueberry Harvest Festival during the last two weeks of August.
The Big Potato
If you live in Prince Edward Island, you know about potatos! The Big Potato fibreglass sculpture is plenty proof of that. This super spud stands over 4 metres high and graces (if a potato can be considered graceful!) the entrance to the PEI Potato Museum in O’Leary. Every July, visitors can be snapped with the spud and enjoy the O’Leary Potato Blossom Festival, including the Miss Potato Blossom Pageant!
The Giant Squid
This one is actually for real! In Glover’s Harbour, Newfoundland, you can see a reproduction of the largest squid ever caught by a fisherman (although some sources claim that it was washed ashore and found by the local fishermen). Caught in 1878 and measuring over 16 metres in length, this squid species is recognized as being the largest of its kind in the Guiness Book of Records. Located near the area where the squid was actually caught, the squid sculpture has a place of honour during the annual Giant Squid Festival.