Largest Rocking Chair

A nice news for our senior readers.You would be just excited enough to rest your back and rock on.The steel 42’1” rocking chair that took its place on Route 66 on April 1, 2008, celebrates its 2009 birthday with the Guinness World Records designation of Largest Rocking Chair. Owners of the rocker, Dan and Carolyn Sanazaro, who grew up in Cuba, built the chair adjacent to The Fanning Outpost General Store to prompt travelers to stop and visit their complex of businesses:  an archery range, a taxidermy shop, and a general store with lodge style décor, convenience items, and Route 66 mementos.    With this in mind, Dan asked his friend artist/designer John Bland to design a large rocking chair reminiscent of the roadside attractions of the 30s-50s along Route 66.  Bland, with no formal engineering training, drew the plans for the rocker. When the plans were tested on engineering software, they were almost dead-on.  With a little adjustment, the plans were ready for building.
     For this phase, Sanazaro turned to another friend welder Joe Medwick.  Using American ingenuity and the love of a challenge, Medwick built the 31’ chair rockers in his shop and then trucked them to the store. Medwick fabricated the rest of the rocker on site with the chair lying on its side.
On April Fool’s Day, Sanazaro contracted two cranes to lift the chair into place on its concrete pad.  Medwick then cut and welded steel to make the chair stationary for safety purposes. During this process the chair went from its original 46’ to a little over 42 feet.
The Route 66 Rocking Chair is a focal point for travellers and locals alike and appears in the photographs of car clubs, motorcycles groups, family photos, and brings smiles to the faces of those who tilt their heads to take in its height. Its coordinates bring geocachers using their GPS devices.Officially, the chair measures 42’1” tall and 20’3” wide although heat and cold cause the chair to expand and contract.  Sanazaro estimates that the rocker weighs about 27,500 pounds.Travellers from all over the world who passed by route 66  felt the rocker amazing.
The Largest Rocking chair was  set by Dan and Carolyn Sanazaro  at Cuba,Missouri,United States of America on February 28,2009.