If you’re wondering what’s happening in my lil’ Midwest town, the big news last week was the unveiling of a giant hamburger statue.
I’m not making this up, kids.
Apparently, people in Rapid City are really fond of McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. So much so that we beat out a bunch of other cities vying for this statue, an 11.5-ton bronze behemoth mounted on a granite base and inscribed with the phrase “hot and deliciously juicy” in Latin.
Still not making this up, I swear.
I can’t believe there was an actual competition to land this thing. We “won” by beating out nationwide competitors from Hawaii, Wyoming, and North Dakota. Rapid City was chosen because we are one of the nation’s top markets for the Quarter Pounder in terms of per-capita sales, our McDonald’s use fresh beef (which means, what…not all of them do?!), and we have a well-known affinity for statues. This latter part is true, but those statues are U.S. presidents that are displayed on various street corners throughout our lovely downtown, not a gaudy bronze hamburger in a parking lot off I-90.
“McDonald’s wanted to celebrate the city’s passion for this classic menu item,” Anne Christensen, field brand reputation director for McDonald’s, said in a statement.
I don’t know, guys. I’m all for public art, and I’m Team Burger, but that doesn’t mean I feel the two should coexist. Also, I can’t remember the last time I had a Quarter Pounder. I visit McDonald’s very infrequently, and I only ever order an Egg McMuffin. If I want a burger I’ll go to the Sugar Shack or Sickie’s Garage.
Yet, some people in town are positively gushing over the burger statue. Josh Ullmark, District Supervisor for McDonald’s, said, “I’m super happy we got it…I can’t wait until tourist season comes…We’ll get some landscaping and lights put on it. It’s going to be beautiful.”
Then again, Josh may be biased.
I ended up working from home 3.5 days last week because of my cold. Can’t remember the last time I was so beaten down by an illness. Usually, Tara will get sick and I’ll be perfectly fine; this time the complete opposite occurred. Go figure.
By Thursday I’d been stuck inside the house for days and decided it was time to head back to the office, but it quickly became apparent I’d rushed things, so I came home at lunchtime. Friday morning, I woke up feeling 1,000 percent better. Funny how a cold that has lingered so long can just suddenly disappear.
Saturday I was symptom-free and felt great, so we took a trip out to the Badlands. It was a glorious Leap Day, full of sunshine and 60º weather. We were even able to get in a little hiking, though it was very muddy in places.
I calculated in my head that this was my ninth trip to the Badlands since we moved here 20 months ago. That annual pass is definitely paying for itself. This desolate, rugged country is, without a doubt, one of my favorite places on earth.
Our plan was to hang around for the sunset, which we did. It sure didn’t disappoint.
It was pushing 7:00 by the time we got back to town, so we stopped for dinner…at a burger place. One that did not have a single arch, golden or otherwise.
Mark My Words 
That is an amazing sunset shot.
The burger statue? Not so much.
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I can make this thing pretty. I know it. I’m going to attempt a shot of the sunset behind the giant burger! #2020goals
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There are not enough filters in the world, dude.
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Those pictures are gorgeous. In terms of the burger statue…no comment. 😉
Ok, one comment: for me to choose the golden arches there must be little to no other choice and a deep feeling of desperation. 😛😂
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And perhaps a deep feeling of self-loathing, too. Wait: I’m projecting again…
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Right. Exactly.
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OMG, that bronze statue of McDonald’s Quarter Pounder reminded me of the post I wrote about working at McDonald’s when I was a kid. Man…that statue is HUGE! Yes, I too haven’t visited McDonald’s in ages. I bet it’s been over 25 years. The last one I went to was in Japan, can you believe that?
Mark, those last two photographs of the sunset are SPECTACULAR! Stunning, my friend. Absolutely stunning!
P.S. glad to hear you’re feeling better!
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And I thought McDonald’s was no longer Super Sizing things. I guess the statue maker didn’t get that particular memo!
Question: did the McDonald’s in Japan serve sake? If so, please tell me you weren’t required to order a McSake!
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Bwhahahahahaha! Mark, that cracked me the hell up! And no…they did not serve sake.
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It looks like a good place to visit. Is that a statue of Obama or am I seeing things?
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Your eyes do not deceive you. That’s the latest statue to be unveiled in the City of Presidents; Mr. Obama took his place of honor on the corner of St. Joseph & 4th downtown.
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That’s a doozy of a burger statue. I question the need for one, but I suppose if you need one you might as well make it large. Go big or go home. Speaking of which, sorry you were feeling lousy all week. Hoping you’re feeling better now.
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I would’ve rather seen a giant Chicken McNugget myself.
I’m feeling much better, thank you!
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So funny! And, those sunset pics are, indeed, stunning. As are the Badlands… always. Were you aware of the McDonald’s – RC link? Bruce’s Mom had funny stories about Joan Kroc, an RC girl. You may find this interesting… https://time.com/4616956/mcdonalds-founder-ray-kroc-joan-kroc/
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Thanks for the link to the Time article! I only became aware of the RC/McDonald’s connection when reading about the statue. I guess it makes more sense now that they would place it here!
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The writing in LATIN!!! is what really puts this over the top, as if it weren’t already bad enough. Badland pics awesome.
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They’re really pulling out all the stops to make this statue look classy, huh?
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I guess they’d need to.
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We really want to get to the Badlands. We drove through it quite by accident once on the way home from a trip out West – what a pleasant surprise.
The burger statue I can take or leave, but at least it’s not a statue of liver. 😉
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Next up for us: the Badlands of North Dakota. Not quite as impressive as South Dakota’s, but that’s like saying the Leaning Tower of Pisa isn’t quite as impressive as the Eiffel Tower. They’re both still pretty spectacular!
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The Dakotas: not to be underestimated!
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That’s a gorgeous sunset. The burger statue? Will that really be a tourist attraction?
But I do love the Latin!
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It’s just kitschy enough that I can see tourists stopping by for pics, and then maybe grabbing a real Quarter Pounder while they’re at it. Pretty shrew marketing move, McDonald’s!
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Burger statue aside, beautiful photos 😉
I also like egg McMuffins, although homemade are better, my Mcfood is also an egg McMuffin.
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Homemade are always better. I usually make myself one at least once a week.
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I’m impressed! I can’t be bothered to get up earlier — I don’t even get hungry until I’ve been at work about an hour.
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