The Minnesota Valley Canning Company was founded in 1903 in Le Sueur, using the name Le Sueur Z for its canned veggies. Eventually, the brand âœGreen Giant Great Big Tender Peas❠was create in 1925 and the Jolly Green Giant, the companyâ™s mascot was create. He stands, tall and green, in Blue Earth at 55.5 feet tall.

Blue Earth celebrates 'Giant Days' each year sometime between the 4th of July and the Faribault County Fair (the fairgrounds are to the right of this photo). Sadly, the powers that be often choose to spend all of their funds on Giant Days (including a fireworks display) rather than splitting it between Independence Day and the county fair. Locals have to travel if they want to see a proper display of patriotism on the 4th, or pretend that the giant days fireworks display is Independence Day, and the county fair has had it's midway reduced to inflatables and a handful of games. One might even struggle to find traditional fair foods anymore. Any Grand Stand event costs more than you've just paid to park or walk in as well. Perhaps less spending on Giant Days and more paying the talent that is booked could allow the entrance fee to include access to the Grand Stand so that fairgoers would have $15 extra to spend on games and foodstuffs before watching the two or three heats of a couple drivers refusing to hit each other when they're the only two left.. or if it's not demo derby night.. before going to see one of the two music acts that were almost exciting the first few times. Heck, spending less on Giant Days and more on the fair might even encourage more people to chip in some donations or large donations, knowing that the funds won't be mismanaged. If cutting down on the whole Giant Days thing is somehow offensive to someone, or hurts their feelings in some way, perhaps it could be incorporated into the fair as the theme of one day or some such thing.