biggest cross...
sa pagbyahe namin from Phoenix, AZ to Chicago, Il... may nadaanan kaming malaking Cross.
malayo pa lang makikita na sha... you'll have plenty of time to set up a camera sa layo ng visibility nya. kasi situated ang cross na ito sa plain fields. walang katabing bundok or building na makaka distract. truly, standing out...
hindi na kami nakahinto dito kaya naghanap na lang ako ng article about it on the internet at ito ang isa sa nakita ko.
THE CROSS AT GROOM, TEXAS
Groom, Texas -- population 600 -- has long been just another forgettable, seen-one-seen-'em-all farm and ranch town on the high plains of the Panhandle.
But it's now a place a lot of people probably remember.
At Exit 109 on Interstate 40, a giant metal cross towers above the almost-treeless, table-flat farm fields just outside of Groom. It's bright-white and 19 stories high. It spans a width of 110 feet and was assembled with of 2.5 million tons of steel and aluminum by over 250 welders. It has been claimed to be the largest cross in the western hemisphere (although a newer, copy-cat version on I-70 at Effingham, Illinois is said to be slightly larger). Biggest or not, it stands out, to say the least.
What may be most interesting is not its relative size. Rather, the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries may be the western hemisphere's ultimate tourist trap.
It does seem rather profane to deem this site as a tourist trap. It's not a commercial enterprise, it is a not-for-profit religious site. The CLJC Ministries does not charge for admission (although they do take donations). It's almost impossible to get lost or trapped. It's e-z off / e-z on the interstate highway. But, if you think about it, the true essence of a tourist trap is not its commercialism or its traffic maze. A tourist trap is a place that effectively captures the attention, time, and thinking of the traveler.
How have they thus created the ultimate tourist trap? The strategy is twofold:
First, it is meant to grab as many people's attention as possible. Geography is key to achieving this one and little old Groom may as perfect a place as any. Interstate 40, one of the country's busiest cross-country highways, brings tens of thousands of travelers past every single day of the year. The flat, rural, monotonous, seemingly featureless landscape provides absolutely no competition. The eye can't help be drawn to the cross and with nothing else to see or do. And so the cross has got the entire market of bored tourists and truckers all to itself. And once they have your attention, they start taking your time.
Second, they channel your attention to the message. At most tourist traps, the message is "SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS." At Groom, the message is the core concept of Christianity, that being the ultimate sacrifices made by God and his Son for humanity through the crucifixion. Architecture is the key here. Instead of an elaborate cathedral or statue where you would could get easily distracted by the stylistic flourishes and materials, this monument is designed with a plain, bold, and (thus) efficient manner. Except for a rendition of the Stations of the Cross placed around the perimeter of the grounds, there is nothing else but the large cross and its meaning to contemplate. What is particularly interesting is just how little information is displayed about the engineering of the cross. The lack of written information along with the absence of art or even landscaping seem to be intentional in that they would distract from that core religious message.
Can a tourist trap also be a monument? At first glance, it wouldn't seem so. Places we would deem as typical tourist traps are cluttered, overcrowded, disorganized arrays of cheezy shops, motels, and entertainment venues. By the end of a day, these places end up as big, exhausting blurs in our minds. And they all seem the same. Gatlinburg, Branson, Wisconsin Dells ... what's the difference? Monuments they are not.
But tourist traps come in different forms and sizes. Travelers can find their attention, time, and thinking to be "captured" by the simple places, too. Roadside fruit stands or scenic overlooks can turn out to be the surprise highlights of a vacation. If this is the case, why can't there be a site that is designed to both lure visitors and commemorate a key historical figure? The cross at Groom is a tourist trap. It is devoted to the memory of Christ and his message. It's simple, effective, and memorable.
Perhaps it is not just the ultimate tourist trap, it is the ultimate monumental landscape.
Groom, Texas -- population 600 -- has long been just another forgettable, seen-one-seen-'em-all farm and ranch town on the high plains of the Panhandle.
But it's now a place a lot of people probably remember.
At Exit 109 on Interstate 40, a giant metal cross towers above the almost-treeless, table-flat farm fields just outside of Groom. It's bright-white and 19 stories high. It spans a width of 110 feet and was assembled with of 2.5 million tons of steel and aluminum by over 250 welders. It has been claimed to be the largest cross in the western hemisphere (although a newer, copy-cat version on I-70 at Effingham, Illinois is said to be slightly larger). Biggest or not, it stands out, to say the least.
What may be most interesting is not its relative size. Rather, the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries may be the western hemisphere's ultimate tourist trap.
It does seem rather profane to deem this site as a tourist trap. It's not a commercial enterprise, it is a not-for-profit religious site. The CLJC Ministries does not charge for admission (although they do take donations). It's almost impossible to get lost or trapped. It's e-z off / e-z on the interstate highway. But, if you think about it, the true essence of a tourist trap is not its commercialism or its traffic maze. A tourist trap is a place that effectively captures the attention, time, and thinking of the traveler.
How have they thus created the ultimate tourist trap? The strategy is twofold:
First, it is meant to grab as many people's attention as possible. Geography is key to achieving this one and little old Groom may as perfect a place as any. Interstate 40, one of the country's busiest cross-country highways, brings tens of thousands of travelers past every single day of the year. The flat, rural, monotonous, seemingly featureless landscape provides absolutely no competition. The eye can't help be drawn to the cross and with nothing else to see or do. And so the cross has got the entire market of bored tourists and truckers all to itself. And once they have your attention, they start taking your time.
Second, they channel your attention to the message. At most tourist traps, the message is "SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS." At Groom, the message is the core concept of Christianity, that being the ultimate sacrifices made by God and his Son for humanity through the crucifixion. Architecture is the key here. Instead of an elaborate cathedral or statue where you would could get easily distracted by the stylistic flourishes and materials, this monument is designed with a plain, bold, and (thus) efficient manner. Except for a rendition of the Stations of the Cross placed around the perimeter of the grounds, there is nothing else but the large cross and its meaning to contemplate. What is particularly interesting is just how little information is displayed about the engineering of the cross. The lack of written information along with the absence of art or even landscaping seem to be intentional in that they would distract from that core religious message.
Can a tourist trap also be a monument? At first glance, it wouldn't seem so. Places we would deem as typical tourist traps are cluttered, overcrowded, disorganized arrays of cheezy shops, motels, and entertainment venues. By the end of a day, these places end up as big, exhausting blurs in our minds. And they all seem the same. Gatlinburg, Branson, Wisconsin Dells ... what's the difference? Monuments they are not.
But tourist traps come in different forms and sizes. Travelers can find their attention, time, and thinking to be "captured" by the simple places, too. Roadside fruit stands or scenic overlooks can turn out to be the surprise highlights of a vacation. If this is the case, why can't there be a site that is designed to both lure visitors and commemorate a key historical figure? The cross at Groom is a tourist trap. It is devoted to the memory of Christ and his message. It's simple, effective, and memorable.
Perhaps it is not just the ultimate tourist trap, it is the ultimate monumental landscape.
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