Largest Belt Buckle a successful tourist attraction in its first year
Apr. 15—"It surpassed my wildest imagination," said Julie Roller Weeks, Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau director.
Towering beside the rodeo stadium at 19 feet 10 1/2 inches wide and 13 feet 11 1/4 inches tall (even taller since it rests on a frame) is the World's Largest Belt Buckle. While the buckle outsizes the previous record by several feet, the buckle also was the center of one Kansas' greatest social media campaigns in 2023. The campaign, run by the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau, won Midwest Travel Network's 2024 best social media campaign.
"I think it shows, if you have a good idea and you're enthusiastic about it, people will gravitate toward that," Weeks said. "They want to be involved in something that's positive. They want to be involved in something that's new."
While Weeks cannot track how many people visited the buckle, Weeks does know over 2,200 people requested directions to the buckle on Google, which is an accomplishment for Abilene. The buckle is also one of most visited pages on CVB's website.
"It continues to bring people to town. I have friends that walk at the stadium everyday over lunch and they said, 'It is rare that we don't stop and take a photo for somebody.'"
A major factor of the buckle's social media success was the paid video endorsement the CVB purchased on Cameo featuring television show "Yellowstone" actor Jefferson White, who plays Jimmy Hurdstrom. The Cameo video took advantage of the show's popularity at the time, which encouraged people to pay attention to White's endorsement.
"I don't think we could have something align more perfectly," she said. "It was a good idea, but there was a lot of luck that came along with it."
Because of the buckle's spot next to the rodeo stadium, the buckle was unmissable during the rodeo, Central Kansas Free Fair and any other event at the fairgrounds.
"It was cool seeing kids sit up there (at the top of the buckle) looking over the fence at the rodeo."
Weeks said she believes the buckle is so popular because of its quirkiness and appeal as a roadside attraction.
"It's something that people can pull off the interstate to see. It makes them smile," she said. "They get to walk around, stretch their legs, and then hopefully explore Abilene or continue on their journey."
Weeks said she does not have any special events planned around the buckle in 2024. The CVB will continue to promote the buckle as best they can. The buckle will be a stop on the Gunsmoke Trail that Weeks and the cities of Wichita, Dodge City and Hays established and are releasing an app for later this year.
"It's a great partnership to get people moving amongst all those cowboy themed communities."
The buckle opened to the public in December 2022. Jason Lahr, who lives a few miles south of Abilene, built the buckle. Weeks said the buckle would never have happened without Jason.
The previous largest belt buckle is in Dallas, Texas. Made by the Montana Silversmiths, that buckle stood at 10 feet and 6 inches tall and 14 feet and 6.4 inches wide.
The Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau can be reached at 785-263-2231 and is located at the Abilene Civic Center at 201 NW Second Street.
