The restored Gemini Giant, once a fixture for almost 60 years at the Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant in Wilmington, Illinois, will be the focus of a party on Nov. 30 at his new home in Wilmington’s South Island Park.
According to a promotional flyer, the event from 1 to 3 p.m. that day will include special guests, live music, a mobile diner, Route 66 memorabilia and a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at 2 p.m.
South Island Park is at 201 Bridge St., just off Route 66 and less than a mile west from the Gemini Giant’s old home.
Wilmington Mayor Ben Dietz announced on Facebook:
Over the last 6 months the city has been working on preparing a site worthy of one of Route 66’s most iconic and photographed stops. We’ve created a new park, added new walking paths, & landscaping to sure those pictures are Instagram worthy. I cannot wait for the Gemini Giant to see what Wilmington has created for him.
For the locals…I appreciate and thank you for your patience in allowing the city to create a space worthy of our beloved Giant. We wanted to make sure that the new home of the Gemini Giant is as special as he is.
For those outside our local area. We cannot wait for you to experience the Gemini Giant in his new location. The city has built a brand new parking lot, installed a new walking trail around the Gemini Giant display, installed a new Route 66 monument, a brand new digital welcome message sign, and native landscaping. Plans are also in place for next year to continue to enhance the area with new entrances to our island parks, additional amenities, and a new kayak launch!
The Gemini Giant sold at auction in March for $275,000. The Joliet Area Historical Museum in nearby Joliet, Illinois, placed the winning bid on the fiberglass giant and promptly turned it over to the city. The museum used a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the purchase.
Experts from the American Giants Museum in Atlanta, Illinois, took down the Gemini Giant shortly after its purchase and set about restoring it.
Grafe Auctions placed hundreds of other items from the Launching Pad on the block, including its metal “Launching Pad” roof letters, but not the restaurant itself.
Buying and securing the Gemini Giant took on extra urgency when Barker threatened to destroy it if it didn’t sell for $100,000.
Former owner Holly Barker, whose tweets alternate between Bible verses and conspiracy theories, threatened to kill her former business partner at the Launching Pad, Tully Garrett, in a Twitter post in January. Barker’s account has been suspended several times for violating the terms of service.
Barker and Garrett purchased the closed restaurant in 2017 and reopened it about 18 months later. They shuttered it during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened it only sporadically.
The Gemini Giant initially landed at the Launching Pad in 1965 after original owner John Korelc saw a Muffler Man during a restaurant convention.
(Image of the Gemini Giant in 2013 at the Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant in Wilmington, Illinois, by formulanone via Flickr)