The latest piece of roadside kitsch in the Green Mountain State is an homage to to the giant beasts that once walked the earth as well as a wonderful advertisement for recycling. In other words, the Vermontasaurus sculpture near the Post Mills Airport in Thetford is "perfectly Vermont!"
The creature was created by “retired school teacher and experimental balloon pilot,” Brian Boland who constructed the dino from a massive assortment of scrap wood.
Vermontasaurus stands 25-feet high and is 122-feet long from snout to tail - large enough to have qualified as a building at one point!
However, his sheer size almost drove him to extinction when officials realized Boland did not obtain a building permit when he began constructing his masterpiece in 2010.
The project was a group effort put together from discarded planks from Boland’s balloon manufacturing business. While the outline is clearly a dinosaur, the creature's hide is made up of randomly nailed together boards, creating a chaotic armor-like look.
Once the sculpture was complete it became the subject of debate for Thetford’s Development Review Board as to whether it required a building permit. In the end, the board cut Boland a break, declaring the Vermontasaurus a work of art.
In June 2012, part of the sculpture collapsed and was rebuilt by Boland with the help of 50 volunteers. The group of dino fans even used the opportunity to shape the spare boards into a few accompanying baby Vermontasauruses!
Should you decide to visit, you'll find the sculptures adjacent to the Post Mills airfield. The spot is also home to gliders and a stable full of vehicles made from surprising objects.
The Experimental Balloon & Airship Museum is also on-site where you can view bits of retired planes, hot air balloons, old medical equipment, and a tree made from skis & ski poles.