Atlanta, IL – On Sunday, October 27, 2024, the American Giants Museum will be featured in the New York Times special section, “Museums.” This NYTimes feature may be the most prestigious attention received among a wide variety of publications that are talking about the popular Route 66 attraction located in Atlanta, Illinois.
Reporter, Valerie Hahn visited Atlanta (IL) in July of this year to tour the museum and learn more about the American Giants Museum, which opened its doors to the public for the first time in July of 2023. After talking with museum curator Bill Thomas and giant collector Joel Baker, the decision was made that it was worthy of space in the bi-annual Museums: Special Section of the New York Times. The article will focus on the images photographed at the museum in August by St. Louis photographer, Bryan Birks.
Don’t subscribe to the NYTimes? No worries, the special section will be available online at https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/arts/design/fiberglass-giants-illinois-route-
66.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UU4.JSZz.p8LL9iNU-xoD&smid=url-share.
The attention started in the spring of 2023, when CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, Conor Knighton, interviewed Joel Baker. Baker is the owner of the giant collection and was in the process of transporting parts of his collection to the Atlanta, Illinois museum around that time. The story aired nationally on CBS TV in August 2023, drawing many local and regional visitors to the site. If you missed the broadcast, you can view it at: https://youtu.be/dj_s9C8LBDY?si=HUGRUelcsTpm2OTD.
The CBS News affiliate in Chicago further promoted the museum’s grand opening events in May 2024 with an online article: https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/american-giants-museum-memorial-
day-weekend/. More than 600 visitors signed the guest book in the city of 1,600 during the four-day event.
Other regional broadcasters also found the American Giants Museum to be news worthy as evidenced by the July 4, 2024 episode on “Destination Illinois” which was produced by Peoria personality, Tom McIntyre (WBMD), and aired by FOX Broadcasting affiliates across the state of Illinois. You can see their story online at: https://fox2now.com/news/illinois/take-a-look-at-the-new-american-giants-museum-in-atlanta-illinois/.
The American Giants Museum has been featured in countless YouTube videos and Vlogs like the one published by Abnormal Voyages (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8gqTISycvM) in April 2024.
The American Giants have such a wide public appeal, even specialty magazines – both online and print – are sharing stories with their readers. For example, Hemmings.com is a source for collector car people and published a story in March of 2023 (https://www.hemmings.com/stories/muffler-men-to-get-
museum/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=EDaily&utm_campaign=).
On the horizon, you can look for more attention on Andrew McCrea’s “American Countryside” program from Farm Journal. Andrew McCrea is a Missouri farmer and rancher whose three-minute features are shared on radio stations nationally and on SiriusXM’s Rural Radio.
The American Giants Museum will also be included in the next publication of Fodor’s Travel Guide – the definitive insider’s guide for things to see and do around the world.
The American Giants Museum will be open by appointment only during the months of November, December, January and February. Please call 217- 650-7117 for appointment or to volunteer at the museum for the 2025 tourist season.
Contact:
Bill Thomas, Atlanta Betterment Fund
wthomas@teleologic.net
217-650-7117
