The World’s Heaviest Ball of Twine Debuts at New Home

Marking a memorable roadside attraction into a memorial for the man who created it.

HIGHLAND, Wis. — There’s a debate between Minnesota and Kansas over who has the largest ball of twine, but across the bridge in Wisconsin, the heaviest ball of Twine just moved to its new home. Although the long-time creator of the world’s heaviest twine ball, James Frank Kotera, passed away over a year ago. The community that he was a part of just celebrated the almost completion of the twine ball’s new home. 

“I actually met Jim back in 1980 and I think that’s when he was finally happy to talk to us when we moved here,” said Terry Nelson, Jim’s at the time neighbor and now organizer of the memorial site. “Because he realized I saw the ball of twine way back when. Since I did see it way back then it was special when we moved here and that fact that he was so proud of it was one of the reasons to make sure that we got to keep it.”

It’s almost too bizarre to not see, but now residing at the Highland Town Hall is the world’s heaviest ball of twine. A feat which took James Frank Kotera, better known as Jim, 44 years to get to this point.

“He was a very eccentric man,” recalled Nelson. “But he was great and I loved talking to him.”

But after Jim’s passing, it was the community that Jim loved who came together. After gaining national traction and receiving upwards of $7,000 in donations, the people of Highland were able to move and build a shelter of Jim’s twine ball in preservation of his memory.

“We had two men that lived in the town that they actually stepped up and they paid to move the ball here. Then our donations that we raised paid for the building,” said Nelson. “I couldn’t believe how strong it was when we moved it. When they lifted it I was holding my breathe because I thought that when they lifted it up it would (collapse) and falling. I was so nervous. They lifted it up and one little dust ball came out and I was like are you kidding me it’s that solid.”

Starting the project in 1979, the twine ball now sits at ten feet high and 22 feet wide. Jim’s ball of twine has attracted thousands from 46 different states and 15 different countries.

“People would ask if they could weave a piece of twine in there and he would not let them,” recalled Nelson. “Because then it wouldn’t be done by one man so he wouldn’t have that record.”

Now as people stop by to gaze at one man’s woven feat, the sense Jim’s legacy continues. To enjoy the simple and amusing things in life.

“He weighed the ball every time that he got twine. He would put it in a bag and he would weigh the bag and he would keep track of how much that bag weighed. Then he would add that on so he could tell you what everything weighed,” recalled Nelson.

“And he knows he put Highland on the map. Not too many people around here can say that they’re in the Guinness book of World Records, they’ve had the world news at their house, he’s had so many people interview him. He had a right to be proud,” said Nelson. “He would be very happy to know his ball is still here for people to see. He loved people seeing that ball.”

Jim also made a smaller ball of twine which weighs in at 47 pounds, the year he was born in, and a ball of string. Both are available to view at the Highland Town Hall along with more memorabilia of Jim. Jim was 75 years old when he passed last winter.

A GoFundMe page is set up to help cover the costs to finish the roof and signage for the memorial attraction, to help out click here.