The Gemini Giant has watched over Route 66 since 1965 when he was installed at a restaurant called the Launching Pad. John and Bernice Korelc changed the name of their restaurant to the Launching Pad after they purchased the 438 pound, 30 ft tall fiberglass sculpture. He was a Muffler Man but was outfitted to capitalize on America's fascination with the Space Race and now holds a silver rocket and sports a space helmet.
At the time, Project Gemini was the current program by NASA to build on the techniques that were developed with Project Mercury to allow for manned space travel. Project Gemini would be followed by the Apollo program which would land a man on the moon.
A contest for a name was held at the local grade school and Gemini Giant was the winner. Since then the Gemini Giant has become a famous icon along Route 66. He is a popular stop for photographs for those traveling The Mother Road and has been inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame.
In March 2024, the Launching Pad and all its assests were auctioned off including the Gemini Giant. The Joliet Area Historical Musuem had the winning bid of $275,000 to purchase the Giant and then lent him to the City of Wilmington.
In order to claim this virtual cache as found, please visit the Gemini Giant at the new location and take a photo of yourself with the Gemini Giant. Include the photo in your "Found It" log. You may also opt to email or message me the photo.
If you choose to not include your face in the photo, then your photo needs to include a sign/piece of paper/your hand/etc with your Geocaching name clearly written on it.
Logs claiming a find may be deleted if the requirements aren't met.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.