Hey Maine! Happy ‘National Paul Bunyan Day’

Did you know that today, June 28th is Paul Bunyan Day?

For those of us who live in the Bangor area, the Paul Bunyan statue is something we probably all take for granted, because well, it is always there, but it is a great point of interest to the tourists who flock to Maine each summer season.

At 31 feet high and 3,700 pounds, the Paul Bunyan statue that greets visitors into Bangor in front of the Cross Insurance Center on Main Street was a gift to Bangor on its 125th anniversary as a city in 1959.

It was designed by J. Normand Martin and built by the Messmoor & Damon firm of New York. The mythical lumberman, according to whom you ask, was born in the deep Maine woods near Bangor. Bunyan and his giant blue ox, Babe, traveled throughout America, creating the Grand Canyon, Puget Sound and the Black Hills.

An advertising copy writer from Westwood, California, named W.B. Laughead introduced Paul Bunyan to the general population. Bunyan was used in pamphlets from 1914 to 1944 to sell products by Red River Lumber Co. of Minnesota.

There have been comedy bits, cartoons, a burger eating challenge, and many, many other tributes to the big fella. When driving or walking by it, I always see people posing near the statue for pictures.

Folks love to post TikTok videos of the statue as well

Or maybe write a song about it, and sing it on TikTok!

So celebrate Paul Bunyan Day, by taking a trip down to the Cross Insurance Center and saying hello to Bangor's most famous landmark!