Latest news with #carrot
CTV News
12 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Bradford eyes $120k price tag for ‘world's largest carrot' installation
Bradford is hoping to root itself in years of history, quite literally, with a towering 40-foot carrot. Unveiled during a June 17 council meeting, a model of the proposed statue was presented as part of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Holland Marsh. If approved, the massive metal carrot could nearly double the height of the current world record-holder in Ohakune, New Zealand. 'This has been a dream for decades,' said Jody Mott, executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers' Association, who presented the plan with longtime farmer and friend Ferguson Mobbs. largest carrot At 7.5 metres tall, this is a very large model of the tasty orange vegetable that was installed in 1984 in Ruapehu, New Zealand. (RUAPEHU) The proposed carrot would be handcrafted by Alex and Nathan Merango, a father-son duo of farmers and metalworkers who have worked in the marsh for decades. Alex, 73, has been hoping to see this vision come to life for nearly half a century. 'For over 16 years, Alex has always said, 'Jody, Jody, please. Let's do this carrot,'' Mott said. 'We've applied, tried to get the funding for the past 50 years. It's been a dream. For the past 20 years, it's been a dream of Ferguson's. I would love to have this, because again, we are the soup and salad bowl of Canada and Ontario. One-point-six kilograms of carrots per Canadian come out of that Marsh.' The marsh is one of the most fertile and vital agriculture areas in the country. Designed to be a bold statement, the piece would be installed on a stretch of Holland Street West. It could rally people into the downtown core, something Mott said is even more important with the future bypass on the horizon. Constructed from metal, the carrot will feature copper elements that could oxidize and turn green over time, adding a weathered character to the root vegetable. The price tag? Around $100,000 to $120,000, but Mott said there are plans in the works to seek private donations. 'I'm going to approach private funders myself. Ferguson's going to keep me in line and keep me grounded,' Mott said. Carrot Bradford council received the Hallmark Committee and Holland Grower Association presentation regarding the proposed giant carrot art statue in honor of the Holland Marsh's 100th anniversary this year dated June 17, 2025. (Supplied) Council responded with some questions about the long-term care and footings. 'My only concern is obviously the cost and maintenance,' councillor Joseph Giordano noted. 'If it's third-party funded, I'm okay with that, but we need a plan for asset management, inspections, and upkeep.' Adding a few extra concerns, 'Number one is the structural integrity obviously is important. The footings and foundations and whatnot... that has to be fully engineered, which you've given us assurance that you're going to be working through, which is paramount for this to take place.' Admiring the ambitious idea Giordano said, 'I love the idea of the copper on the top. So, as it as it starts to age it gives it that green look. The steel from my engineering side of the things - we're usually not allowed to let things rust or pit.' Councillor Jonathan Scott chimed in, noting the artistic legacy potential of the massive metal vegetable. 'I am a huge supporter of adding more public art to this town. We've had our murals, we have that beautiful sculpture through Summerlyn, and I think this is fantastic, subject to all the fundraising and the requirements that you've spoken to.' 'This is a tourist attraction piece too. It's going to be great for our community, and I'm excited about it myself,' said Bradford Mayor James Leduc, echoing Scott's sentiments. 'I know there's lots of people that are excited about this, so congratulations.' Ultimately, council was in favor of the monumental project, asking the committee to return with a detailed plan. Mayor James Leduc embraced the concept with humor, 'We can plant it now and start to have it. We'll pull the tarp off it on in October when it's grown.'
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jannik Sinner makes victorious return after week of hysteria and his hero's welcome was never in doubt... his legend in Italy has been ENHANCED by his ban
After three months of stasis and a week of hysteria here in Rome, Jannik Sinner returned to the tennis court at last. In his first match since winning the Australian Open, the first since his lawyers agreed such a conveniently-timed suspension for two failed doping tests, the world No 1 beat Argentina's Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4. 'It was an amazing feeling to be back,' he said. 'I've waited a long time for this moment. The result doesn't matter. It has been a remarkable day for me.' The Foro Italico was drowning in carrots on Saturday. Carrot hats, carrot t-shirts, even a man dressed as a carrot. Sinner's 'carrot top' red hair - so unusual in Italy - has been adopted by his fans as the symbol and colour of their devotion and orange flooded the stands of the Campo Centrale. One Italian journalist I spoke to described Sinner's following as 'a religion' and there have been strange parallels between his return and the election of a new Pope just 3km to the south. As the faithful crammed into St Peter's Square, so a different brand of pilgrim descended on the Foro Italico. Sinner arrived on site around lunchtime and was driven through a sea of fans in a buggy - it looked like a Pontiff's public appearance in his Pope mobile. He practiced on Court 5, which has one public stand and is ringed on the other sides by the balconies of corporate hospitality - there was only one man the highrollers had come to see. Fans swarmed around the public stand, stacking five deep and holding cameraphones above heads, taking blind snaps in the hope of capturing Sinner's holy image. It was quite extraordinary: there were plenty of seats elsewhere with an excellent view of world class tennis but instead these people stood on tiptoe and craned their necks to catch sight of a flash of ginger, a fraction of a forehand, an inch of freckled cheek. We are awaiting official confirmation of the attendance but the Foro Italico was heaving, with food stalls completely overwhelmed. It appears Sinner's legend in his home country has been enhanced, rather than diminished, by his three-month doping ban. Not that he ought to have been greeted by rotten tomatoes. Both the tennis authorities who cleared him completely and World Anti-Doping, who appealed seeking a ban, have made clear their belief that Sinner had zero intention to dope, and zero knowledge of the clostebol entering his system. But the case has nonetheless been hugely controversial. Novak Djokovic claimed to represent the majority view of the locker room when he opined that Sinner had received preferential treatment. Here in Italy the view is the opposite: they believe WADA would not have bothered intervening in the case of a lower-profile player. 'He's a saint,' says the local journalist, with an expressive shrug, when I ask how the doping ban is viewed in Italy. If that sounds like exaggeration, one fan's shirt read: 'Lord forgive me, the Sinner is back,' with the world No 1's head photoshopped on to a renaissance image of a Saint, halo and all. After all this, there was tennis to play. The antipasti was Matteo Berrettini, a beloved son of Rome, against Britain's Jacob Fearnley. A tense 6-4, 7-6 win for the Italian - in which Fearnley led 5-2 in the second set before fading physically - got the local fans going. And now for Sinner. A hero's welcome was never in doubt; how he would perform was less certain. Three months of inaction is no joke for an athlete who is used to competing almost every week. And for the first two months of his ban, Sinner was forbidden to practice with fellow professionals. Navone may be the world No 99 but he is an out-and-out clay court specialist and well capable of exposing any rust. Sinner made a few more errors than usual and the second set was tighter than it should have been, but on this evidence his best level is not too far away. And when that point is reached, those three months spent recharging while his rivals slugged it out may start to feel like a blessing in disguise. 'I feel like we prepared ourselves in the best possible way,' said Sinner. 'Of course, I was missing the feedback of official matches, which is the best feedback a player can get. At least now I have a bigger picture of what I'm doing well and what I have to improve. 'Hopefully I can play one or two matches more here to see where I am at, which would be my main goal. Then all the rest is just a positive. 'It was a great start of this tournament and of the comeback. Let's see what's coming.'
