Wawa and it’s giant Canada goose, one of the most visited roadside attractions in North America.

Wawa and it’s giant Canada goose, one of the most visited roadside attractions in North America. The visitor gives a sense of scale to the goose statue
Photo Credit: tripadvisor.ca

Wawa’s giant goose is cooked!

Well, perhaps ‘cooked’ isn’t the right word,, more like rusting away.

The small town of Wawa in northern Ontario was thrilled knowing that in 1960, the Trans-Canada highway to the town was going to be completed.

That would mean lots of traffic through town, and lots of business from travellers.  But, wait the road was completed but bypassed the downtown.

To get travellers to stop, they needed an attraction.

The current goose, (showing some rustt stains) will not fly off into the sunset, but might be sold off in souvenir pieces, but Wawa cannot be without it’s goose, *it’s part of Wawa, we can’t not have a goose* says town official Chris Wray
The current goose, (showing some rust stains) will not fly off into the sunset, but might be sold off in souvenir pieces, but Wawa cannot be without it’s goose, *it’s part of Wawa, we can’t not have a goose* says town official Chris Wray. A new replacement is planned © wawa

The town name, Wawa, is an Ojibway aboriginal word meaning “wild goose” or “land of the big goose”..so, whe not build a giant roadside goose to get people to stop and take a look and once stopped, well they’ll likely spend some time and money in town.

In 1960 the first goose went up, made of plaster, and it worked, people stopped, some spent money in town.. but weather took its toll, and that goose was replaced in 1963 with a steel goose. It was perhaps more fitting due to the iron ore mine nearby.

The goose has become one of the most photographed roadside attractions in North America.

But time and weather have taken its toll on that goose, and a new one is needed.

A fund raising campaign is taking place to collect about $250,000 for a new one, which will be an almost exact copy, with a few improvements.

The *new* goose will be exactly like the old, but instead with detachable pieces for easier maintenance and replacement
The *new* goose will be exactly like the old, but instead with detachable pieces for easier maintenance and replacement © wawa.cc

So foar the community has raised $65k, with another $100k from the federal government.

Town accounting officer Chris Wray says if the fund raising campaign falls short, they’ll make up the difference themselves,” because the Wawa goose is Wawa. We can’t not have the goose there”.

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