This Indiana Town Is Home to the World’s Largest Ball of Paint
Indiana is home to some world wonders, from the world’s largest children’s museum to the world’s largest full-day sporting event (the Indy 500). Of course, Indiana has some much quirkier attractions worth checking out, such as the unique and incredible world’s largest ball of paint hiding in Alexandria.
Mike Carmichael of Alexandria developed a unique hobby of covering a baseball in layers of paint during his high school years. Fascinated by the unique shape the ball took after numerous coats of paint, he vowed to make another one, to see just how large it could become.
When his son was three, Carmichael decided to try again, running a rod through the baseball so it could be suspended in the air. He let his son paint the first layer (blue), and he and his wife took over adding layers, as often as a few times a day.
While the ball started out small, it quickly began to amass into a much larger ball, and Carmichael finally built a barn to house the ball of paint inside. He hung it from a custom-built girder to support its massive weight.
Today, this giant ball of paint is no longer perfectly round, thanks mostly to gravity. This now oblong-shaped ball has formed imperfections and unique textures, looking more like a creepy science experiment than a baseball layered in paint. It currently has over 26,000 layers of paint and weighs over 5,000 pounds!
Visitors can not only come and investigate this unique roadside attraction in Indiana, but they can also actually add to the paint ball’s size by adding another layer of paint in the color of their choice. They’ll receive a certificate after painting their layer, giving them an official record of their participation in Hoosier history.
Call +1 765 724 4088 to schedule an appointment to visit this fascinating attraction and play a part in continuing to create the world’s largest ball of paint.
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