Frazee, Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frazee is a city in Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,377 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²). 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (5.43%) is water.
Frazee is located 46.8 degrees north of the equator and 95.8 degrees west of the prime meridian. Altitude is 1274 feet above sea level.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 1,377 people, 504 households, and 318 families residing in the city. The population density was 618.2/km² (1,593.2/mi²). There were 553 housing units at an average density of 248.3/km² (639.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.39% White, 0.65% African American, 2.98% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.
There were 504 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,150, and the median income for a family was $31,576. Males had a median income of $27,153 versus $18,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,257. About 14.7% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 33.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Big Tom
[edit] The First Big Tom
Since Frazee has long been a part of the turkey industry, a group of turkey growers and committee members got together in 1984 and decided to put up a giant turkey statue. They commissioned the artist Shell Scott to construct it. The original statue was built on a metal frame and covered in cement, fiberglass, cardboard, and insulation. When it was finished in 1986, it stood 22 feet tall and cost $20,000 to build, earning Frazee the title of "Home of the world's largest turkey."
Because of Big Tom's physical makeup, it needed frequent repairs. There were also complaints that Big Tom was not anatomically correct — it was not proportioned like a real turkey. So the area committee decided that they needed a new Big Tom. This time they commissioned Dave Oswald for the job.
[edit] Big Tom burns
2:15 p.m. July 1st, 1998 As Burt Larson, Kenny Fett, and Ross Mickelson were tearing down the old statue, Burt attempted to use a cutting torch to remove the wings. As soon as the torch touched the bird, Big Tom caught fire, completely destroying the statue. No major injuries were reported.
[edit] The next Big Tom
The new statue arrived in Frazee in August of 1998. Coming in three separate pieces on a flatbed trailer, it took eight hours to assemble. This Big Tom stands over 20 feet tall and is 17 feet wide. It weighs over 5,000 pounds, having 1,000 pounds of steel reinforcement. It is estimated to have 3,000 to 4,000 separate fiberglass feathers, which took the D.W.O. Fiberglass Company over 2,000 hours to make.
