Gnome Chomsky – Kerhonkson, New York - Atlas Obscura
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Gnome Chomsky

Kelder's Farm
Kerhonkson, New York

"Gnome Chomsky" was once the largest gnome in the world, but is now simply tall for his kind. 

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Gnome Chompsky stands overlooking the highway, with the farm and mini-golf course in the background.
The inscription on his pedestal reads:"The World's Largest Garden Gnome / Kelder's Farm, Route 209, Kerhonkson, NY / Maria Reidelbach and Ken Brown, 2003 Fabricated by John Hutchinson and Maria Reidelbach, 2006"
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Artist Maria Reidelbach’s 2006/07 project, “Gnome on the Grange”, is designed to celebrate the local farming community. The 10-hole mini-golf course is located on 100-acre Kelder’s Farm, which in addition to selling seasonal fruits and vegetables, also features a petting zoo and educational tours for children.

The mini-golf course is designed to both entertain and teach, Reidelbach says: “I want to introduce people to stuff they hadn’t thought about before. I want to make bridges over food”. Landscaped with fragrant fruits and vegetables of every shape and size, players are welcome to taste the scenery as they play.

The most striking feature, however, is unarguably the towering jolly giant, Gnome Chomsky. He stands invitingly on the hill facing the highway, challenging one and all to come enjoy the scenery, visit the farm, and play a round or two of mini golf.

Chomsky no longer holds the Guinness World Record for tallest concrete gnome as he once did. Reiman Gardens in Iowa is home to a Gnome that stands 15 feet tall. Although there is a Gnome in Poland who towers at 18 ft, but unlike Chomsky and the Reiman Gardens’ gnome, theirs is made of fiberglass.

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