We all go a little nuts every once in a while. But hey, we're human. And this was the only excuse I needed when I decided to head down to Durant, Oklahoma.
Named after Frenchman Pierre Durant and housing 13,549 Durantites, this is the proud home of Southeast Oklahoma State University. There's industry, a bustling little downtown, and if you go north off of the main drag...you'll run into the "world's largest peanut". In a nutshell, it makes for a great photo op.
I'm the fellow on the right looking like I was up until 3AM that morning monitoring thunderstorms. Jason Grubbs, Reporter Extraordinaire is the fellow on the left looking like a million bucks.
Now before you call in sick to work and rush down to the Durant Metropolitan Area, here's a few things you should know.
1. The peanut isn't real, it's more like a statue-peanut built as a homage to the local peanut industry.
2. The peanut sits on a pedestal outside of the City Hall.
3. There seems to be some contention for this "Big Peanut" Title. Here are some other towns with notable nuts.
A. Ashburn, Georgia also claims to have the world's largest
peanut. One website even accuses Durant's peanut of
"lying" about being the biggest peanut status.
B. Dothan, Alabama boasts a giant gold peanut as a
"symbol of local pride."
C. In the town of Pelion, South Carolina, a mysterious
large peanut sits on display along the road and
apparently, needs a paint job.
If you feel like coming out of your shell to visit, Durant's a place to stop for a peanut butter sandwich if you're driving down to Dallas.